If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Wow. That was the chapter I had been waiting for. You write fanfics like a pro.

Legendaries Caught with One Pokeball (Not counting the ones that I had to keep resetting when I ran out of Pokeballs or when they break free in the first encounter) (Black) (SoulSilver) (Black 2) (White) (White 2)

Thank you! But could you please be a bit more specific: what do you like about my fanfic? Why do you like my fic?

What did I like about this fanfic because some of Ash's old Pokemon return to him, such as Pigeot, as well as Misty's Togetic returning to Misty, which is... heartwarming. Not to mention Ash catching new Pokemon. Why I like this fanfic is because Ash and Misty travel side by side as boyfriend and girlfriend, which is romantic. I hope they find a way to get together again in the next chapter...

Legendaries Caught with One Pokeball (Not counting the ones that I had to keep resetting when I ran out of Pokeballs or when they break free in the first encounter) (Black) (SoulSilver) (Black 2) (White) (White 2)

I like this story, I see it as decent closure to the anime, I like the Ash+Misty interactions, and the implementations of older chars. One thing I noticed is that you tend to overrely on dialogue, and that your battle format is just little more than *Trainer says a command, write down what happened*.

I like this story, I see it as decent closure to the anime, I like the Ash+Misty interactions, and the implementations of older chars. One thing I noticed is that you tend to overrely on dialogue, and that your battle format is just little more than *Trainer says a command, write down what happened*.

Thanks. The story isn't finished yet. And yeah, the battles indeed aren't that good, I suck at writing battles...

I forgot to mention this earlier, but there seems to be a minimal of out of the box strategies, from Ash in particular. There are a few, but not that many. Many of the matches (except final matches) also either end too quickly and/or with 1HKOs (1-Hit KnockOuts).

I forgot to mention this earlier, but there seems to be a minimal of out of the box strategies, from Ash in particular. There are a few, but not that many. Many of the matches (except final matches) also either end too quickly and/or with 1HKOs (1-Hit KnockOuts).

Well, Ash mostly uses out of the box strategies in Gym Battles. Those are stronger than his opponnents in "regular" battles, when pure strentgh is enough. And I don't have that many OHKO's. However, I do acknowledge that quite some "regular" battles end quickly.

While Ash’s Growlithe stood on the icy battlefield, being close to exhaustion, Pryce’s intimidating Dewgong was looking at the tired Fire type. The Dewgong just came out of its Poke Ball, ready to battle at full power.

“Begin!” the referee shouted.

“Growlithe, start with a Flamethrower!” Ash shouted. The flames were shot at the white Pokemon, but didn’t affect the Ice type much. “Dang it!” Ash cursed.

“Dewgong, finish this with your Aurora Beam!” Pryce commanded. A strong, colourful beam struck the fire dog, who couldn’t take this hit anymore.

“Growlithe is defeated, Dewgong is the winner!” Sheila shouted, while looking at the defeated Fire type.

The ray with rainbow colours did more than just defeating Ash’s Growlithe. It did more to Ash. Moments from the past went through his mind. He started daydreaming, and saw another Dewgong using Aurora Beam, defeating Wallace’s Milotic against all odds. Then, that Dewgong’s trainer took off her clothes and jumped in the water to celebrate the victory with the Ice Pokemon. Later on that specific day on the Whirl Islands, he remembered the big party that was there to celebrate the win. And now, he was separated from this awesome girl. And why? Because he couldn’t control himself in his rage of jealousy.

Then, Melody gave him the wake-up call he needed. “Ash, are you daydreaming? Concentrate on the battle!” she shouted.

“Oh, sorry...” Ash moaned, while returning Growlithe to its Poke Ball. Then, he sent out his last Pokemon. “Bulbasaur, I choose you!” he shouted, while the Grass Pokemon left his Poke Ball and stood on the ice.

“Begin!” the referee said, while noticing that the Pokemon were ready.

“Dewgong, use your Blizzard!” Pryce commanded. While the white Pokemon shook its tail, d big supply of snow was shot at Bulbasaur, shaped like a wind. The icy cold breeze had its effect: Bulbasaur was frozen!

Then, Melody noticed that the attack was almost charged. “Ash, now!” she shouted.

“Furret!” her Pokemon shouted. He came out of his Poke Ball to support Ash.

“Now!” Ash shouted. A strong, bright, shining beam was shot at Dewgong. First, the ice and snow was damped. Then, there was still enough power left to hit the icy Pokemon with great power. The sea lion wasn’t expecting to get hit all, causing it to be unable to avoid the critical hit.

“Dewgong is defeated, Bulbasaur is the winner! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!” the referee shouted, while looking at the victorious Grass type.

“Bulbasaur!” the proud winner shouted, while looking at the yellow glory hunter.

“Bulbasaur, you were fantastic! Come back and have some rest, you’ve fought hard,” Ash complimented, while retreating his Pokemon. He noticed that Melody put her cheering Furret back in its Poke Ball as well.

“Bye, Pryce,” Melody said, while looking at the old man and his Dewgong, who already felt a bit better after taking a beating from Bulbasaur.

“Bye, Melody and Ash,” the Gym Leader replied, while taking a Poke Ball from his belt and putting his white sea lion Pokemon in it.

A few hours later, Ash and Melody were looking at the moon in the dark sky, while their Pokemon were looking at the beautiful green trees in the dark moonlight.

“Melody, this moonlight is awesome!” Ash said, while taking off his clothes and putting on his pyjamas, not caring about Melody seeing things most people aren’t supposed to see.

“Yeah... The past day, there’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Melody said, after kissing the Pallet Town-native on his cheek. She had a flame of burning desire in her eyes, showing determination and passion.

“What is it?” Ash asked, as dense as usual.

“You and I are gonna share the bed together!” Melody suggested, while taking off her clothes.

“What?” Ash screamed. He wasn’t counting on this. He enjoyed Melody’s company and felt attracted to her, they were becoming quite the couple, but sex? He felt like it was way too early for that.

“Um... I’m not fully comfortable with this...” Ash tried, but Melody was already taking off his pyjamas shirt.

“Why not? We’re gonna have some fun!” Melody shouted.

Then, Ash realized what he felt all along, that stinging feeling he felt while being with Melody. “I miss Misty!” he screamed, while bursting out into tears. He quickly put on his clothes, took Pikachu in his hands and ran away from Melody, deep into Ice Path.

While he put his sleeping bag in the icy cold cave, his tears were falling down on the ground. “Why did I let her go so easily, why didn’t I control myself?” he thought.

“Pika Pi!” his Pokemon shouted.

“You’re right, Pikachu. I’ll look for her tomorrow. But now, we’re going to sleep. Good night!” he replied.

And so, the Pallet Town-native and his trusty yellow pal went asleep. However, this wasn’t a smart choice: with cold temperatures like in Ice Path, it’s better to keep moving. While they slept, they were slowly freezing without even noticing it in their sleep!

The next morning, a red-haired girl and two Pokemon of hers were looking for him. “Oh, what did I do? He might be with Melody now!” Misty thought.

“Zu Zu!” her blue Pokemon said. It was her Azumarill, who recently evolved from Marill. It used its ears to detect Ash! The Pokemon was pointing to the east, to Ice Path.

“What? He’s in Ice Path?” Misty asked.

“Togetic?” her other Pokemon reacted, shocked by the possibility that her beloved Pikachu might be in mortal danger.

“Azu,” the Water type shouted. Then, Misty and her Pokemon ran to an eastward direction.

Half an hour later, they stood in front of the daunting, icy, dangerous cave. “I’m so glad I have my comfy scarf!” Misty thought.

“Hey, Misty!” a girl said, while poking her elbow.

“Tell me where Ash is, you skank!” Misty snapped, while holding Melody’s shirt. Her face was a perfect portrayal of her emotions: her ‘victim’ was extremely scared.

“Back off!” the brown-haired girl shouted. When Misty finally let her go, she answered. “Ash ran into Ice Path last night, after crying about missing you so much,” she explained.

“Oh no!” Misty shouted. Without even thinking about it, she ran into Ice Path, followed by Togetic and Azumarill, who had to fly and run very fast to keep up with their trainer.

“Tic...” her Togetic moaned, while feeling the harsh cold on her body.

“Sorry Togetic, but we have to go through this place,” Misty apologised. Then, she ran onwards, looking for the boy she loves.

“We’ve got to do something or they’ll die!” Misty thought. Then, she grabbed a Poke Ball from her bag. “Gyarados, I choose you!” she shouted, while a big, blue serpent came out of the red and white ball.

“Togetic, Gyarados, use your Flamethrower on the ice!” the aspiring Water Pokemon Master commanded. And so, flames were shot at Ash and Pikachu, making the ice covering them melt. Then, Misty shook Ash up and down, but didn’t get a reaction. Then, tears started rolling down her cheeks. “He’s dead, and it’s all my fault!” she thought.

“Zu Zu Zu! Zu Zu Zu Zu!” Azumarill protested. Then, he spit a huge amount water at the two frozen ones. And that was what they needed: Ash shook his head. “Misty? Is it you? Am I in Heaven?” he mumbled.

“Thank you so much for saving my life!” he responded, while hugging his former girlfriend.

“You’re welcome,” she replied.

“Misty, could we be a couple again? I regret everything I did, and I’ve missed you so much!” he asked.

“I’m not sure...” she said, while her eyes started tearing up. “I’ve been a total b*tch to you, I’m not worth your love...”

“I’ve been a total douche to you, I’ve done worse things than you,” he replied. “I’ve been behaving like a child all the time, and I should’ve believed you when Robert tried to rape-kiss you...”

“Will it be the same as before if we get back together now?” Misty asked.

“I’d say it’s even better than before,” Ash answered. “Hopefully, we both learned something from this time apart.”

“Aww, thank you so much! I’m so glad you still want me back after this!” Misty replied, while putting Gyarados and Azumarill back in their Poke Balls.

“Come on, then let’s get out of this stupid cave and go to Blackthorn!” Ash suggested. He ran forwards, followed by Misty, Pikachu and Togetic.

While running through the icy cold cave, Ash and Misty started talking about their time apart. “And, how was kissing Melody, Ash?” Misty asked.

“Well, she’s hot, getting cheek-kisses felt nice, but I just don’t love her like I love you,” Ash replied.

Then, a very uncomfortable thought started taking over Misty’s mind. “Ash, did you...” she tried to ask.

“Did I do what?” he asked.

“Did you have sex with Melody?” she blurted out.

“No, of course not! She wanted to have sex, but that was the moment when I realized I had to get rid of her as soon as possible, and it made me realize that the only one I want to be with is you!” he answered.

“That b*tch just can’t stop...” Misty moaned. “She rape-kissed you six years ago, constantly flirts with you, and even tried to have sex with you...”

“Misty, are you jealous?” Ash asked.

“Yes, because I know that you do feel at least some attraction to her!” she snapped.

“I was single and she kissed me, and I started feeling a bit comfortable,” he replied. “But she’s not someone I feel really romantically attracted to. I could be good friends with her and enjoy her sexiness, but she’s not the right girlfriend for me.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” she said, while knowing that reaching the exit of Ice Path would still take some time. “I never even considered other guys during our separation.”

Many hours later, while the sun was going down, Ash and Misty finally reached Blackthorn City. They immediately went to the Pokemon Center to warm up, eat and sleep.

“Good night, Ash,” Misty said.

“It’s so awesome to sleep with you again, I missed you!” Ash responded.

“We don’t have to go to sleep now,” Misty suggested.

“What do you mean?” Ash asked, as dense as ever.

“Melody was about to do something intimate with you. However, how about us two doing that to celebrate that we’re together again?” she suggested in a teasy way.

“I think I can get on board with that,” Ash replied, while noticing that Pikachu and Togetic were asleep in their small two-Pokemon bed.

The next morning, the couple sat on a couch in the lounge of Blackthorn City’s Pokemon Center. “Ash, last night was awesome, now I fully feel that we’re a couple again. Nothing can ever change that!” Misty said cheerfully.

“Yeah,” Ash replied. Then, he heard two young men talking at a table in the Pokemon Center. “Hey, are you taking part in the Pokemon Center lottery as well?” one of them asked.

“Sure, I’ve heard you can win a Fire Stone,” the other one said. “There are only five minutes left to buy a lottery ticket, and in thirty minutes, they’ll announce the winner.”

“Misty, did you hear that?” Ash asked, while Pikachu sat on his shoulder. “You can win a Fire Stone! That would be perfect for Growlithe!”

“Growlithe, do you want to evolve? I can win a Fire Stone in the lottery, so I’d like to know whether you’d like that or not.” the Fire Pokemon’s trainer explained.

“Growl!” the Pokemon nodded, being eager to get stronger.

“Ash, don’t make Growlithe happy with nothing! There are hundreds of people participating, the chance that you’ll win is incredibly small!” Misty sighed, in an attempt to make Ash see the harsh reality.

“Could be, but you watch me, I’m gonna win!” Ash replied. Then, he walked up to Nurse Joy and gave her ten Poke Dollar. “One lottery ticket for the Fire Stone lottery, please!” he said.

“Here you go! You’ve got the last ticket, you wouldn’t have been able to buy it if you would’ve been one minute later!” Nurse Joy replied, while giving Ash the last lottery ticket left.

When Ash got back at the couch with Misty, she tried talking sense into him again. “Ash, don’t expect too much, you probably won’t win...”

“But I feel that this is the winning ticket,” her boyfriend countered.

“Growl!” his dog-like Pokemon added to that.

“Toge Togetic!” Togetic shouted, choosing Misty’s side.

“Ash, what exactly gives you the feeling that you’re gonna win?” Misty asked.

“I don’t know...” he answered. “But I still have faith in a good outcome.”

Then, Ash got an intense feeling. A feeling of happiness. “Yes! I’ve got... A Fire Stone!” he shouted, while doing a victory dance with Pikachu.

Nurse Joy walked up to the Pokemon trainer. “Congratulations, you’re so lucky! What are you going to do with your Fire Stone?” she asked.

“Well, as you can see, I have a Growlithe,” he said, referring to the dog standing next to him. “And I’m going to use it on this Growlithe.” Then, he looked at his dog. “Are you ready?” he asked his Pokemon.

“Growlithe Growl!” the Fire type answered, nodding. And so, while Misty, Togetic, Pikachu and Nurse Joy were looking, Ash made Growlithe touch the stone. Then, he started glowing. His form changed, and his body size increased significantly. When they weren’t blinded by the light anymore, the Pokemon howled. “Arrrr!”

“Arcanine, I’m so happy for you!” Ash shouted, while the Fire Pokemon hugged his trainer with his head.

“Congratulations, Ash! It’s rare to say this for me, but you were absolutely right this time!” Misty admitted. “He’s so happy with his Pokemon, just like me. I used to dislike his Pokemon obsession because he barely focused on me, but I’ve learned to accept it now. I love my Pokemon too, but I still focus on him as well. But I shouldn’t try to change him. Ash is Ash and I love him for that,” she thought, showing that she learned from the temporary separation.

“Now, Misty, let’s go to the Gym so I can challenge Clair!” Ash suggested.

“All right!” Misty replied, while following her running boyfriend, running next to his Arcanine, followed by her Togetic.

However, when they just got outside the Pokemon Center, Ash and Misty saw a familiar face. Misty knew this wasn’t good, a shock went through her body. “Why, Arceus? Why?” she thought. Her Pokemon started worrying as well. “Togetic!”

“Ash, oh no, it’s her!” she shouted. Misty Waterflower’s heart was beating faster than usual, while standing in front of the Pokemon Center in Blackthorn City. Her Togetic also didn’t seem to like the person who was walking up to her and her boyfriend.

“What’s the big deal?” Ash asked. He didn’t understand how Misty felt about the girl who tried to steal him away from her.

He didn’t know what to say. If he chose Misty’s side, his friendly rivalry with Melody might be ruined, while choosing Melody’s side could be the end of his already fragile and tense relationship with Misty, after everything that has happened.

“Ash, didn’t you hear me?” Misty asked. His relationship with Misty was more important to him than his rivalry with Melody, but he still didn’t feel fully comfortable with choosing Misty’s side. After all, his girlfriend just hit someone in the face, and that didn’t feel right to him.

“Misty, I’m on your side, but you shouldn’t have hit her!” Ash tried to please both girls. However, they weren’t even listening to him anymore.

“You’re going to pay for this!” Melody snapped.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?” Misty asked.

“A Pokemon battle, of course!” the Shamouti Island-native snapped. “Right here, right now, in the town square in front of the Pokemon Center!”

“Accepted, but don’t whine when you lose, you asked for this!” the former Cerulean City Gym Leader replied.

Then, Ash interrupted. “Misty, could we please just go to the Gym? I’m sick of listening to this stupid argument! Girls are so complicated!”

“No! I have to defend my honour as the Whirl Cup winner and defeat this b*tch!” Misty snapped.

“You can’t defend any honour if you don’t have any honour!” Melody nagged.

“A Dewgong? That Pokemon is sooo pathetic!” Melody shouted, severely offending the Ice-type. Then, she threw a Poke Ball in the air. “Furret, I choose you!” A ferret-like Pokemon with brown stripes came out of the round item.

When Misty was about to command her Dewgong to attack, she noticed that a whole crowd was standing around her and Melody! While she was focusing on her fight with her love rival, she wasn’t noticing the crapload of people who gathered, watching the argument. “Wow, this is embarrassing...” she thought.

“Furret, let’s start with your Iron Tail!” Melody commanded. While its tail became hard, the ferret ran at the slow sea lion, hitting him with the tail. The Ice Pokemon was severely damaged. “Oh no, a critical hit!” Misty thought. Dewgong stood up, but sustained some severe damage very early in the battle.

“Dewgong!” Misty shouted. “Use your Scald!” A scorching hot ray of water came out of Dewgong’s mouth, in a futile attempt to hit the fast ferret. Dewgong kept shooting hot water, but the opponent kept jumping, walking or running away.

“He’s simply too fast, you need to try a different strategy!” Ash shouted.

“I know!” Misty snapped.

“Furret, use your Dig!” Melody commanded.

Then, Misty realized that she was close to victory, despite the odds being against her so far. “Dewgong, dive in Furret’s tunnel and hit him with an Aurora Beam!” The sea lion did what his trainer wanted. After going in the hole in the ground, the Pokemon quickly reached his opponent, who was about to come out of the ground. Then, a new hole appeared in the ground. Furret got shot out of the hole, after being hit by a strong, colourful beam. The Normal-type fell down on the ground with a smashing blow.

“Oh no!” Melody shouted. “Are you okay, Furret?” she asked. The Pokemon murmured a sound that one could hardly hear. “Come back, I’ll take you to a Pokemon Center.” While feeling humiliated, she quickly ran away from the battlefield and entered the Pokemon Center. The crowd quickly disappeared: the battle was over, there was nothing more to see.

“Misty, could we PLEASE go to the Gym NOW? I’ve been waiting for way too long now!” Ash complained.

“Of course, we’re finished here now anyways,” Misty replied, while she walked through the inner city of Blackthorn. While walking across the shops, skyscrapers and modern buildings, she was reflecting on her behaviour.

“Ash, I feel bad about what just happened...” Misty confessed.

“Of course you do, Melody was flirting with me,” Ash replied.

“That’s not what I meant...” she moaned. “He’s so dumb!” she thought.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, I thought my anger problem was becoming less severe, I thought I was improving. But when I saw Melody, I just couldn’t control myself... I still have a very serious problem...” she admitted.

“Well, it’s mature of you to look at it like that. But I’d be jealous too if another guy would flirt with you,” he replied.

“But you don’t use physical violence...” she responded.

“I suppose you’re right,” he admitted. “Now let’s focus on the battle, now we’re almost there.”

“Oh, alright then,” Misty said. She still felt bad, but she knew discussing it with someone as dense as Ash wouldn’t help her anyways.

Five minutes later, Ash rang the doorbell of a big, red building just outside Blackthorn’s central business district. A woman with light purple hair opened the door. “Hi Ash, long time no see! What are you doing here?”

“Hi Clair, I’m challenging the Gym Leaders in Johto again, so I can participate in the Johto League again,” he explained.

“That’s fantastic!” Ash responded. He walked towards the watery battlefield, while Misty, Togetic and Pikachu took place on the bench for spectators. The battlefield consisted of water, solely having two small platforms for Pokemon that can’t swim.

“This is a three on three Pokemon battle between Gym Leader Clair and challenger Ash Ketchum! Both trainers will use three Pokemon! There is no time limit, we will battle for a Rising Badge!” the referee explained.

“I’m so ready for this! Kingdra, I choose you!” Clair shouted. A big seahorse-like creature emerged from the Poke Ball she was holding.

“Then I choose Bayleef!” Ash shouted. After hurling a Poke Ball, he found himself being hugged by the Grass-type. “Bayleef, it’s time to battle. We’ll hug if you defeat Kingdra,” he said. Bayleef took the signal and looked energetic. She knew she had to win in order to get the desired hug.

“Begin!” the referee shouted.

“Kingdra, let’s start with a Dragon Pulse!” the Gym Leader shouted. A strong pulse was shot at the Grass-type, who wasn’t mobile enough to avoid getting hit. She was damaged, but not even close to being defeated.

“Bayleef, try a Razor Leaf!” Ash said. A bunch of leaves were aimed at the seahorse, who got hit. The opponent didn’t take that much damage, but the first hit was there.

“Kingdra, go near Bayleef and use Hyper Beam!” Clair shouted. The Grass type stood on its platform and couldn’t get away. And so, avoiding the powerful beam was impossible.

“Bayleef, no!” Ash screamed. The Grass Pokemon was exhausted, and felt some pain on her left front leg. However, despite a major struggle, she was able to stand up.

“Bayleef, use your Seed Bomb!” Ash shouted. A group of hard seeds were shot at Kingdra, who seemed to be in a great deal of pain.

“Bayleef is strong, but Kingdra can take this. Kingdra, let’s finish it with another Hyper Beam!” Clair screamed.

“Bayleef, jump!” Ash commanded. The Pokemon smashed her Vine Whip on the ground and jumped.

“And now use Body Slam!” he shouted. The Leaf Pokemon hurled herself at the Dragon-type with high speed, smashing the opponent to the bottom of the pool. Then, Bayleef jumped back on her platform, while the motionless Kingdra went to the surface. The referee raised his flag. “Kingdra is defeated, Bayleef is the winner!”

“Bayleef, that was awesome!” Ash complimented. “You deserve that hug!”

“Bay Bay!” the Pokemon said, jumping at Ash, giving him a Body Slam of love. She squealed from happiness, while Ash enjoyed how Bayleef loved this moment. However, Misty groaned. She didn’t feel comfortable with another female giving Ash a tight hug.

“Ash, your Bayleef is awesome!” Clair praised. “However, my Gyarados can beat her!” Then, she raised her arm and threw a Poke Ball in the air.

“Gyarados, let’s start with a Dragon Rage!” Clair decided. A blue orb appeared in the Water type’s mouth, from which he shot a ray of energy at Bulbasaur. Unfortunately, the Grass Pokemon didn’t know Bayleef’s Vine Whip Jump. And so, he was not able to avoid any attacks. The strong beam took its toll: Bulbasaur had trouble getting up.

Then, Gyarados gave Bulbasaur a smashing blow. While the water was moving because of the power of Gyararados’s blow, Bulbasaur was shot in the air. He was severely damaged, but not defeated yet.

“We got him!” Ash cheered. “Bulbasaur, Solarbeam!” The Poison type smiled, aimed his bulb and shot the beam at Gyarados, who was so surprised, that there was no time left to avoid getting hit.

“And now finish it with Bullet Seed!” he added to that. His Bulbasaur, who was back on his platform, shot a few seeds at the opponent, who was almost done for. Some seconds later, after getting hit, the Water Pokemon collapsed. The referee declared Gyarados as defeated!

“Gyarados, oh no!” Clair screamed. She retreated the Pokemon to its Poke Ball.

“That was awesome, Bulbasaur!” Ash complimented.

“Bulba Bulbasaur!” his Pokemon replied.

Clair was still confident that she could win. “You’ve defeated two of my Pokemon, but Bulbasaur and Bayleef must be exhausted now! Go, Dragonite!” Her strongest Pokemon came out of its Poke Ball.

“Bulbasaur versus Dragonite, begin!” the referee shouted.

“Bulbasaur, let’s see if you can weaken him! Use Sludge Bomb!” Ash commanded. He was lucky Professor Oak once taught Bulbasaur this new move, to keep its battling skills sharp. A supply of filthy, sticky goo was hurled at Dragonite.

“Dragonite, dive under water,” Clair said. Her Pokemon did what its trainer told it to, completely cleaning itself from the goo.

“Dragonite, let’s finish this with Iron Tail!” Clair commanded. After getting hard, Dragonite’s tail was slammed at Bulbasaur’s body. The Grass Pokemon got smacked against the walls and fell down on the ground. And so, the referee acknowledged the defeat.

“Bulbasaur, you wore Dragonite down a little, you did a great job. Come back!” Ash said. Then, he took another Poke Ball from his belt. “Bayleef, I choose you!” he shouted.

“Bay Bay!” the Grass Pokemon squealed.

“Begin!” the referee said.

“Bayleef, use your Leech Seed!” Ash commanded. The seed was shot at Dragonite, who simply evaded the attack.

“Bayleef, try again,” her trainer said. However, the opponent avoided this second attempt, and also the third attempt following this one.

“Dragonite, let’s finish this with Horn Drill!” Clair shouted. The dragon made its horn spin, while aiming at the Grass type.

“Bayleef, try to hit it with Leech Seed while it’s coming at you!” Ash said. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Bayleef would be defeated, but wanted to inflict as many damage as possible first.

And so it happened. Dragonite was able deliver Bayleef the final blow, but got hit by Leech Seed.

“Bayleef is defeated, Dragonite is the winner!” the referee said.

“Bayleef, that was great!” Ash complimented. “Have some rest.” Then, he threw another Poke Ball. “Arcanine, I choose you!”

“Arcanine versus Dragonite, begin!” the referee announced.

“Dragonite, use your Aqua Tail!” the Gym Leader said. Her Pokemon tried to hit the dog, but the Fire-type jumped just in time to avoid getting hit.

“Arcanine, use your Flamethrower on the water!” Ash commanded. “Charizard did this last time I battled Clair, doing it again will allow Arcanine to avoid moves by walking away, and not just by jumping,” he thought. And so, the water turned into damp, allowing Arcanine to use the entire battlefield.

“Dragonite, fly above him and use your Hyper Beam!” Clair commanded. A strong, yellow beam was shot out of the Dragon’s horn, striking down on Arcanine.

“No, Arcanine!” Ash cried. The dog lay on the floor, and didn’t look like he’d be able to stand up soon.

“Nair...” her Dragon-type moaned. It felt an intense shock of pain going through its body.

“Leech Seed is starting to suck more and more energy from Dragonite,” Misty said happily. “Ash, having Bayleef use Leech Seed was a really smart move!”

“Arcanine, we can still win this!” Ash shouted happily. “Use your Fire Blast!” A shot of intense flames was shot at Dragonite, who was incapable of moving, thanks to the lack of energy.

“Dragonite, I don’t think you can use direct attacks now, so let’s try what we can do from a long distance. Use your Thunderbolt!” Clair commanded. The dragon made lightning escape its body, but Arcanine ran away from the attack. Despite being hurt and tired, the dog was still able to avoid attacks, unlike its opponent.

“Arcanine, now finish this with your Take Down!” Ash said happily.

“Arrr!” the Fire type screamed, while running at his opponent. Then, he made the dragon fling against the wall. Then, Dragonite fell down.

“Dragonite is unable to battle! Arcanine is the winner! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!” the referee stated.

“We did it!” Ash screamed. He ran at his Pokemon, giving the star of the battle a well-deserved hug. Meanwhile, Clair returned her Dragonite to its Poke Ball, complimenting it for a good performance in battle.

Then, Clair walked up to him. “Ash, making the water disappear by heating it was a very smart strategy. And your Arcanine really surprised me, it’s so strong! And it was really smart how Bayleef used Leech Seed on Dragonite!”

“Pi Pikachu!” the glory hunter shouted, despite not having any role during this battle.

“Arrr!” the true star barked. Then, Ash took a Poke Ball from his belt and called his winner Pokemon back. He walked towards the door, holding Misty’s hand. “Bye Clair!” Ash and Misty said simultaneously.

“Bye guys! And Ash, thanks for the awesome battle!” Clair responded.

“Misty, will we go to Mt. Silver now?” Ash begged.

“Ash, the League is still some time away from now, and we still have a long way to go. We need to go to New Bark Town, and then pass through a big natural area. Then, there’s a cave. When we get out of that cave, we’ll reach Mt. Silver,” Misty explained.

“Then let’s go to New Bark Town now!” he suggested.

“Ash, sorry, but I’d like to go clothe shopping again. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, so I’d like to get a new outfit. It’s time to take off the winter clothes, and to buy a new belly top, and shorts, or maybe a skirt. There’s a discount at my favourite store, so this seems like a perfect occasion to buy that kind of clothes now!” she explained.

“Oh no!” he screamed. He reminded last time when he and her went clothe shopping. While she tried on clothes, he was bored and fell asleep multiple times. “Do I have to go into that stupid store with you?”

“No, I can go there alone. Meanwhile, you can look in stores you like, or do some Pokemon battle,” she suggested.

“Alright then, I could look for a birthday gift for you. I know your birthday is during the League, but this is the last city with a decent shopping mall until we get to Mt. Silver,” he replied. “I hope you’ll come back wearing an outfit that allows me to have lots of gushing pleasure.”

“I’ll do my best!” Misty said, while laughing. “Okay then, let’s meet up here again in two hours.”

And so, while Ash and Pikachu went east from the Gym, Misty and Togetic entered Blackthorn City’s Hot Topic. What kind of new clothes will Misty buy, will Ash like her new summer attire or not? And, more important, what will Ash buy for Misty’s birthday? Will it be a romantic gift, or a very painful failure?

It's reviewing time! I think this fanfic is an okay piece of Ash and Misty. I think you need to work on the drama a bit more because I want to see more of Ash's and Misty's thoughs on the break up and more time apart before they get back together. Please use moves that the Pokemon are able to use and not some moves that their not able to. It really feels not right to me as a fan of the Pokemon series. The battles feel short and could be leghten to seven or ten moves. Even with that it's an okay fanfic.

It's reviewing time! I think this fanfic is an okay piece of Ash and Misty. I think you need to work on the drama a bit more because I want to see more of Ash's and Misty's thoughs on the break up and more time apart before they get back together. Please use moves that the Pokemon are able to use and not some moves that their not able to. It really feels not right to me as a fan of the Pokemon series. The battles feel short and could be leghten to seven or ten moves. Even with that it's an okay fanfic.

Well, yeah, the separation was short. I was thinking about having them separated for one more chapter, but I thought this would be better, because I wanted Misty and Melody's fight to be before the last Gym Battle. But you're right, I should've had one more chapter for the separation.

My Pokemon only use moves they're able to learn in the games. Sure, some Pokemon use moves they don't know in the anime yet, but are capable of learning in the games.

You are right about some battles being too short, I'm really not good at battles... However, Misty vs. Wallace and a few other ones are pretty long, don't forget those.

“He’s MY boyfriend! F*ck off!” Misty shouted. Ash didn’t know what to do and sighed, following Pikachu’s example. Meanwhile, Togetic was hovering behind Misty, shocked by everything that was happening.

I can imagine Misty being overprotective about Ash, but I do find it hard to picture Misty swearing, but she is quite feisty so it could be possible. This part really shocked me because I didn't expect the f word.

I can imagine Misty being overprotective about Ash, but I do find it hard to picture Misty swearing, but she is quite feisty so it could be possible. This part really shocked me because I didn't expect the f word.

I can understand your opinion. I was a bit unsure about words like that, but I thought it would make sense: Misty is furious, and unlike the anime, my fic isn't limited by the "everything has to be appropriate for little kids" thing. I think it's not that weird for a 16 year old (Misty is 16 in the fic) to know words like that, and this would be a situation in which a teen with a serious anger problem would use that word.

However, I can see why it feels strange. After all, Misty is a Pokemon character, so you still see her as that 10 year old from that children's anime.

“I can’t take much more...” he moaned, after looking at the tenth gift store he visited. Ash Ketchum was looking for a birthday present for his girlfriend, but wasn’t able to find anything. He saw many things in the shops he visited, but no gift would fit Misty. The only thing he was able to buy is food for himself, an unhealthy pizza dinner.

Then, he walked across a traveling agency. “Hmm... Maybe a nice holiday?” he thought. When he walked into the yellow building, he saw a few people standing in front of the counter. Then, his eye fell on the big, blue advertisement on the wall. “Let’s go to Humilau!” he read. “Go to Humilau City for seven days! Sun, sea and beach for only 100.000 Poke Dollar, including a journey per plane, a fancy hotel and free food!” A twinkle was visible in his eyes. “This is perfect! A vacation with lots of sunbathing and swimming, Misty is gonna love this!” he thought. He grabbed his wallet from his backpack to see if he had enough money left. A few seconds later, tears were flowing down his cheek. He was just 100 Poke Dollar short of being able to pay the vacation of his dreams!

The slender, blonde-haired girl behind the corner noticed the tears. “Why are you crying?” she asked.

“Well, I don’t have enough money for the holiday of my girlfriend’s dreams... I wanted to surprise her, but 999.900 Poke Dollar isn’t enough...” he complained.

“A handsome trainer like you can’t pay for this? Well, maybe I have an idea... Do you have any things in your bag that could be worth something? Maybe I could accept money and an item of value...” the employee asked.

“Well, I could give you a Poke Ball, those are worth around 100 Poke Dollar...” Ash suggested. “Pi Pikachu!” his Pokemon begged, hoping that the employee would accept this offer.

“Splendid, I’ll accept your money and that empty Poke Ball,” the girl said, while Ash’s tears started to dry up. “When would you two like to leave?”

“After the Johto League. That tournament ends on 29 June, so I’d like to go there on 30 June, Misty’s birthday,” he answered

“Misty? You mean the famous Misty?” the blonde asked. “The girl who won the Whirl Cup?”

“Yes,” Ash replied.

“You’re the luckiest guy in the world!” the employee responded.

“Thanks!” he said, while leaving the store.

He quickly looked at his watch. 6:55 PM. He had to hurry, Misty would be waiting at 7:00 PM! “Come on, Pikachu! Hurry!” he shouted, while running towards the southern border of Blackthorn City.

“Pika Pika!” his Pokemon yelled, while running as fast as he could.

And then, he made it just in time. “Misty, I’ve got the perfect present for you,” he gasped out of exhaustion. “I won’t tell you what it is yet.”

“That’s so sweet, thank you!” she replied. “By the way, how do you like my new outfit?” she asked, while posing like a model.

Ash noticed her sporty white shoes, her flattering jeans, her white, long-sleeved belly top and her checkered scarf. “Wow, that is awesome!” he complimented. He liked how it revealed her belly, and how it was much more flattering than the thick winter coat she wore during the past few months.

“Thank you,” Misty replied, while Togetic was hovering behind her. “I’m glad you like it too! I also bought new summer clothes, but I thought this would be better for spring.”

One hour later, the two and their Pokemon were on the road again. Then, they encountered a building they saw before. “Hey, that’s the Coastline Gym!” Ash noticed.

“Hey yeah, Dorian used to work here until he took over Cerulean City’s Gym,” Misty added to that.

“I’m curious who runs this Gym now,” Ash said.

“Well, let’s go in,” Misty replied.

And so, they entered the blue, stadium-like building. Quickly, after walking through a dark, black tunnel, they reached the battlefield. There, they saw a brown-haired girl wearing a pink one-piece swimsuit doing some training exercises. “Croconaw, shoot these targets with your Water Gun!” she shouted, while throwing some targets in the air.

“Hey, it’s Trinity!” Ash noticed.

“Hi Trinity! Are you the Gym Leader here?” Misty asked, while Croconaw successfully hit all the targets.

“Yes, this job was free to take when Dorian went to the Cerulean Gym, I thought like it would be a good idea to settle down here. I’ve travelled a lot, so now I want to live in one place for a while,” Trinity answered her friend’s question.

“I understand. I wouldn’t want this job myself, but I understand your reasoning,” Misty replied. “By the way, would you like to battle?”

“That’s nice, I’d love to get revenge after the Whirl Cup!” Trinity replied. “How about an underwater battle?”

“That would be awesome!” Misty replied. “I’ll put my bikini on in that dresser room and put an underwater breather on, I see you already have one.”

And so, a few minutes later, Ash and Misty wore their swimwear and were using underwater breathers. Pikachu and Togetic also borrowed some breathers from Trinity, so they could see the battle too.

“How about we both use one Pokemon? I’ll battle with Lanturn,” Trinity referred to the Pokemon swimming next to her in the dark, deep, blue water below the battlefield.

“Alright then,” Misty replied. She threw a Poke Ball she took from her backpack. “Corsola, I choose you!”

“Good luck, Misty,” Ash said, backed by Pikachu and Togetic.

“Lanturn, let’s start with Spark!” Trinity commanded. The electric fish swam at Corsola with high speed, followed by an electrifying tackle. Not only was the attack very effective against its fellow Water type, the shock was also strengthened by the fact that water conducts electricity.

“And now Thunder!” the Coastline Gym Leader shouted. A big jolt of electricity came out of the lights on Lanturn’s forehead, zapping Corsola, who was too late to use Mirror Coat, which Misty ordered her to. Trinity wore an electricity-proof swimsuit, while Pikachu took the blow for Ash, Misty and Togetic. As an Electric type, the yellow mouse had no trouble sustaining this move.

“Corsola, no!” Misty screamed. Then, she took the Poke Ball in her hand and retreated the defeated Pokemon. “You did your best, that’s all I can ask. You’re awesome, Corsola.” Then, she swam at the winner. “Congratulations, Trinity, your Lanturn is very strong. And you made use this underwater battlefield very well!”

“You’re welcome,” Trinity replied.

“Would you like to do a rematch tomorrow? Ash and I will be in our sleeping bags and will sleep in front of this Gym, and then come back tomorrow. Misty suggested.”

“I think I have a batter idea,” Trinity said. “You two could stay here tonight. It’s getting dark, and I have a two-person bed in a guestroom for you two. Then, after breakfast, we could battle again.”

“Thank you, that would be awesome,” Misty said, while yawning. “Ash, are you okay with that?” she asked.

Trinity put Lanturn in its Poke Ball and swam upwards, followed by the travelling couple. After brushing their teeth, taking their swimwear off and putting their nightwear on, they went to the guestroom. While they lay in the bed, they saw yellow painted walls with photos of Trinity’s Lanturn, back when it was a Chinchou. Misty even noticed a very special photo.

“Ash, look! That’s a photo taken during the Whirl Cup six years ago, when Trinity defeated me,” she noticed.

“Yeah, I see,” Ash replied. “Your Corsola was pretty confused back the, I remember that battle.”

“That type combination of Water and Electric is really strong, but there must be a way to defeat them without having to rely on opponents triggering Psyduck’s headache...” she moaned. “But how?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “A Grass type could beat it with ease, but you probably want to beat it with a Water type, so Hoppip isn’t an option... Maybe you could ask Professor Oak to rotate some of your Pokemon, so you could surprise Trinity with a Pokemon of yours she never saw...”

“Rotate? That’s it! Thanks, Ash!” Misty cheered. “I know what I have to do now!”

“What’s your plan?” Ash asked.

“You’ll see that tomorrow, and I won’t have to call Professor Oak” she replied, while turning off the light. “Good night, Ash.” She didn’t get a reply anymore: Ash was already snoring from sleep. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Togetic were sleeping too. Not long after that, Misty fell asleep as well.

Not too long after that, at the end of this evening, a sinister duo and their Meowth entered the Gym. “This place is open for everyone, just so they can attract more challengers,” a purple-haired man said.

“But instead of challengers, they attract thieves,” a red-haired woman added to that.

“Before she went to sleep, I saw how that leader put her wallet under her pillow, I saw that by spying on her with this binocular. And in the local newspaper, I read she doesn’t trust banks, so there must be lots of money in that wallet!” the cat Pokemon said.

Then, the trio walked up to Trinity’s room. However, unfortunately for them, when opening the door, the Coastline Gym Leader woke up!

“Who are you three, what are you doing in my room?” Trinity asked, while her eyes were still sleepy.

“That’s none of your business, lady,” Meowth whispered, while James sent his Roselia out of his Poke Ball.

“Roselia, put her back to sleep with your Sleep Powder,” the purple-haired thief ordered softly. A cloud of powder covered the Leader, who quickly fell asleep again. Then, Meowth grabbed the red wallet from under the pillow. After that, the thieves and the Roselia ran away from the Gym.

After running a few kilometers away from the Gym, Meowth opened the wallet. “Wow, twelve million Poke Dollars! We’re rich! That’s four million for all of us!”

“I don’t think so, Meowth!” James screamed. “My Roselia made this theft possible, so I deserve a slightly bigger share than you and Jessie!” Roselia agreed with this, and made this clear by nodding.

“But I spied on Trinity and came up with this plan!” Meowth countered. “Jessie did nothing, so she doesn’t deserve anything!”

“But I went in there with you two, and I need it much more than you two! I need expensive beauty treatments and fashionable, expensive clothes!” Jessie snapped.

A few counterarguments later, the three got into a fight for the money. “It was MY idea!” “It was MY Roselia!” “I need it the most!” the three shouted to each other. Then, they heard a voice from some distance and saw someone standing there with a black Pokemon. “Hold it right there!” the person shouted.

The next morning, Ash, Misty and their Pokemon woke up early after hearing Trinity talking to a police officer at the door. “You’re very lucky a teen and his Umbreon took the wallet from the thieves and brought it to the police station,” they heard someone saying through the open window.

“Thank you so much, Officer Jenny! I remember how I woke up at night and then fell asleep quickly after seeing a Roselia in my room, I don’t remember much else than that...” Trinity replied. “Bye!”

After showering, brushing their teeth and putting their swimwear on, Ash and Misty came downstairs. “Why was Officer Jenny there?” Ash asked.

“You can read all about it in the Northern Johto Times, it’s on the front page,” Trinity answered.

Ash took the paper and started to read the story on the front page, while Misty read along while sitting next to her boyfriend. “League candidate stops thieves” was the headline. “Yesterday, late in the evening, a trio of thieves tried to steal Coastline City Gym Leader Trinity’s money. However, they were stopped cold by a traveling trainer and his Umbreon. In a response to a reporter, seventeen year old Johto League participant Gary Oak gave this reaction: “I wasn’t able to fall asleep, so Umbreon and I decided to walk onwards to Mt. Silver. Then, we saw those three thugs fighting about money. I know those three Team Rocket members, I knew they must’ve stolen something. When they saw me, they quickly ran away, but dropped the wallet. I wasn’t able to catch the thieves, but I was at least able to bring this wallet to the police station.” The police gave the potential League winner a reward of 5.000 Poke Dollar.”

“Yeah, I’m glad Gary was there, otherwise I would’ve been in big trouble!” Trinity said. “I just got my monthly wage some days ago, and one month without money would’ve made me unable to buy food,” she explained.

“I didn’t notice any thief, I was asleep quickly after going to bed,” Misty replied.

“Me neither,” Ash responded.

After they finished their breakfast, Ash and Misty saw Trinity was already wearing her electricity-proof bathing suit again. “Misty, would you like to battle now?” the Gym Leader asked.

“Sure!” the former Gym Leader replied. After putting on an underwater breather, she ran towards the battlefield and jumped into the water, followed by Ash, Pikachu, Trinity and Togetic.

“Trinity, shall we both use one Pokemon again, just like yesterday?” Misty asked.

“Lanturn, let’s start with your Spark again!” Trinity ordered. However, this time, the attack didn’t hit.

“Seadra, avoid it by using Agility!” Misty said. It turned out that the seahorse was way faster than Corsola, allowing him to have an easier time against Lanturn.

“Now use Smokescreen!” Misty ordered. A ball of black haze was hurled at Lanturn, who was unable to aim its attacks well now.

“Don’t worry, Lanturn,” Trinity said. The Electric Pokemon was capable of seeing through the smoke by using the lights on its head. “Use your Signal Beam!” A green and red ray of light was shot at Seadra, who was too surprised to avoid getting hit. However, the Pokemon was able to take the hit quite well.

“Seadra, use your Headbutt!” Misty commanded. The already fast dragon-like Pokemon was faster than usual after using Agility, enabling it to hit the electric opponent before it even had a chance to avoid the attack.

“Lanturn, you can take more than that, use your Take Down!” Trinity shouted. However, Seadra was fast enough to avoid the attack. And not only that, after wearing Lanturn down by letting the opponent follow him in attempts to hit it with Take Down, the seahorse gave the Electric type another blow with Headbutt.

“Wow, that was a strong hit!” Ash cheered. “Go, Seadra!”

“Seadra, now finish it with Twister!” Misty said happily. “Sea!” the Pokemon said, while creating a huge whirlpool.

“Lanturn, try to avoid it!” Trinity screamed. However, it was too late. Her Pokemon was trapped in the twister, there was no chance to escape.

“Now finish it with Dragonbreath!” Misty ordered. A green breath came out of Seadra’s snout, stunning Lanturn for the final blow.

“Misty, you did it!” Ash said happily, while Pikachu hugged his trainer’s girlfriend. Togetic swam at Misty as well, only to be knocked away by Seadra, who wanted to be hugged by his trainer.

“Lanturn, you were great again. Have some rest,” Trinity said, while retreating the Pokemon. Then, she swam at Misty, who finished hugging everyone. “Misty, that was awesome. Your Seadra impressed me while I was watching your battle with Juan in the Whirl Cup, and this is even more impressive,” she complimented. “I see you didn’t ease up after your big win, you kept on working and will keep doing that. Your future is very bright!” Then, she looked at Seadra. “Your future too!” she said, causing her to receive a hug from the Pokemon.

Half an hour later, Seadra was in its Poke Ball, and our heroes were just outside the Coastline Gym again after saying goodbye to Trinity. They walked onwards to New Bark Town, where Ash would register for the Johto League.

“Misty, now I get what you meant when you said rotating was the key to winning: Twister!” Ash mentioned.

“That’s right. I figured that Lanturn was too strong when having a type advantage against my Pokemon, and also being able to take advantage of the underwater battlefield, so I thought speed and the element of surprise were the key to winning.” Misty explained.

“And you got the idea from me!” Ash bragged.

“I came up with it when you mentioned the word ‘rotating’, you never came up with any actual ideas at all!” Misty snapped. “And besides, you barely use tactics in battle, you just rely on luck!”

“And how about the way you beat Trinity in the Whirl Cup with Psyduck?” Ash countered.

“That was a one-time thing, I didn’t even want to use Psyduck back then!” Misty complained.

“Pi Pi Pi...” Pikachu moaned to Togetic, which could be translated as “Oh no, there we go again...”

“To Togetic!” Togetic replied, which could be translated as “Don’t worry, those two will stop soon, their frequent small Sunday afternoon arguments usually don’t last much longer than half an hour.”

And so, after Misty’s exciting and valuable battles against an old friend, our heroes walked onwards to New Bark Town.

I thought it was a nice chapter, but I'm not sure if I can add much to it. I like the idea of an underwater battle because I think it could have some really lovely imagery.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

Hm... Maybe I could've done something more shippy/romantic with the underwater battle... However, I just wanted this to be made for Misty, so she could focus on battling, and do something related to her dream... Anyways, did you like Misty's battles with Trinity?

“Pikachu, don’t be difficult! You can sit on my shoulder or head all the time, I have to walk!” Ash snapped at his Pokemon.

“Pi Pika, Pikachu!” the Electric-type shouted.

“Okay then, Pikachu, if you don’t think it’s that bad, try walking next to me for some time!” the trainer screamed. Togetic giggled, noticing how her fellow Pokemon was getting himself in trouble.

“That does it!” Pikachu thought. He released a bolt of electricity on Ash, causing the trainer to fall down on the ground.

“Okay then, Pikachu, you can sit on my shoulder...” Ash sighed.

“That’s better Ash, you were being very childish!” Misty said in a teasy way, much to Ash’s frustration. However, he decided to not make a big deal out of it, knowing that would only get him in trouble.

Then, when coming across of a video phone on the wall, Misty walked to the object. “Ash, I have to make a phonecall, it won’t take long.”

“What about?” Ash asked.

“Well, I want to know how Dorian is doing at the Cerulean Gym,” Misty said.

“Why? You’re not in charge there anymore and you’re happy with that, why would you call him?” he asked.

“Well, I still feel responsible, despite absolutely not wanting to be a Gym Leader. I have full faith in Dorian, but if he screws up and the Gym gets closed, I’d feel extremely guilty... I just want to make sure everything is going fine,” she explained, while waiting for someone at the Gym to pick up the phone there.

“Hello, this is Dorian speaking,” a brown-haired man said.

“Good afternoon, Dorian. It’s me, Misty,” the redhead said.

“Hi Misty, I haven’t spoken to you in almost seven years! Congratulations on winning the Whirl Cup, I saw you on TV! Anyways, why did you call me?” he asked.

“Thanks,” she answered. “Anyways, how are you doing at the Gym? Despite not being a Gym Leader anymore, I just have to make sure everything is going fine.”

“Well, yesterday, the Pokémon Inspection Agency came here, and the Gym passed the test without any trouble,” he assured.

“That’s a huge relief, thanks!” she said.

“Also, Misty, you look really great with your long hair down! I used to think you were ugly, but now you’re like a mermaid,” he said. “You look even better than your sisters!”

“Well, thanks, I suppose…” she muttered, not sure whether she should appreciate the compliment or pop Dorian in the mouth the first time she met him in real life again. “Anyways, how are my sisters doing?” she asked.

“Gosh, they’re annoying! Daisy is constantly being all mushy with Tracey, who comes over every day, I once even caught them tongue-kissing on the battlefield when my Mantine and I were about to challenge some rookie! And Violet and Lily never help me with anything, they constantly ask me about how their make-up, their fashionable clothes and that kind of sh*t looks... How many times I tell them I don’t know and I don’t care, they just don’t stop...” Dorian said.

“That’s no surprise to me... Consider yourself lucky they didn’t totally ruin your life, goals and dreams, like they did to me...” Misty said.

“Yeah, I once heard Violet and Lily talking about that, they didn’t regret anything. After all, I recently heard them saying their modeling careers are more important. They said you had to make offers to give them the time to give them the opportunity to get big amounts of money without them having to do more than posing for some magazines,” Dorian said.

“Typically those two... Apparently, earning a little bit more money is more important than my life, hope, dreams and happiness... Even though it would’ve been easy for them to just appoint someone, they just used their younger sister to get out of their responsibilities...” Misty said. “And did you ever hear Daisy say anything about this?”

“Well, she showed signs of regret,” Dorian said, much to Misty’s surprise. “She feels bad about wasting six years of your life without caring about your emotions, she really regrets ruining your early teen years, she thinks it was wrong to just use you for that” he explained. “She and I recently talked about that. To me, Daisy seems much more mature than Lily and Violet. Those two are shallow airheads. Daisy has some traits like that too, but much less worse.”

Misty was shocked. “Gosh... Maybe I was too harsh to Daisy during the Whirl Cup... On one hand, she really seems to regret everything... But on the other hand, she once offered me money if I would forgive her, and made Tracey ask that because I didn’t want to talk to her. She can’t just buy me out of my right to have emotional problems and my right to be mad about what happened when that’s justified! What they did to me is not a small thing, it’s not easy to forgive someone for that...”

“I understand,” Dorian said. “She’s not a bad girl anymore, and maybe the things that happened were mostly because of Lily and Violet, but she had a part in it too.”

“Yeah... If she would’ve really cared about my life and emotions, she would’ve tried to help me to leave the Gym, instead of keeping me there for six years!” Misty said. “But still, she really seems to feel remorseful since the moment I left the Gym, so maybe I should forgive her...”

“So, do you forgive your sisters or not?” Dorian asked.

“I just don’t know... Maybe Daisy...” the former Cerulean Gym Leader said softly. “I’m more and more inclined to forgive her, I do have to admit that...”

“I understand why it’s difficult. I won’t tell them about this phonecall, you can talk to them when you feel ready,” Dorian said.

“Thanks for this phonecall, bye!” Misty said, backed by her Pokemon. “Toge Togetic!”

“Bye, Misty,” Dorian said.

After that, Ash and Misty walked onwards, through the big, rocky, mountain area. As promised, Pikachu sat on Ash’s shoulder like always, while Togetic was hovering next to Misty. Then, Ash saw something. “Hey, look Misty, a mountain climber!”

“Hey yeah, I see,” Misty said.

“Maybe he’s a Pokemon trainer,” he stated his initial thought.

“Why does that matter?” she asked.

“Well, I could battle him,” he suggested.

“Is there any moment you don’t think about Pokemon battles?” she asked.

“Nope,” he answered.

Then, the mountain climber jumped off the mountain, using a parachute to land safely. “Hey, Ash and Misty, long time no see!” he said. It was Danny, the Navel Island Gym Leader.

“Um... Hi...” Misty said softly.

“Danny, do you still have feelings for Misty?” Ash asked.

“No, I’ve gotten over that now. In fact, I yesterday, I saw a really hot woman behind the counter in the supermarket in Blackthorn City, and I’m gonna ask her out soon. Ash, I’m sorry for flirting with Misty, I should’ve respected that you love her and that she loves you. And Misty, sorry if I made you uncomfortable with it,” Danny said.

“It’s fine, as long as this is really true,” Misty answered. “I felt flattered by the compliments, but it also creeped my out. I’m glad you’re over this.”

“Anyways, I’m here to train in mountain climbing, I have to stay in shape to climb the mountain of my Gym challenge, and I thought it would be nice to try climbing some mountains outside of the Orange Islands for a change. What are you two doing here, by the way?” Danny asked.

“I’m going to participate in the Johto League,” Ash answered.

“And you, Misty?” the Navel Island-native asked.

“I won the Whirl Cup some months ago, and I travel with Ash and am still aiming to become a Water Pokemon Master,” Misty said.

“Nice, congratulations!” Danny replied. Then, he looked at Ash. “Hey, Ash, how about a quick battle before you two go onwards?”

“Of course, that’s awesome!” Ash shouted. “When I saw you, it was the first thing I was thinking about!”

“Electrode, Rollout!” Danny shouted. The Electric-type quickly rolled at Snorlax, only to bump into his fat belly, not being able to do any damage.

“Snorlax, try a Body Slam!” Ash commanded. His Pokemon jumped into the air, hoping to crush Electrode, but ended up crashing down on the ground without hitting his opponent, who evaded the attack again. Instead of damaging the opponent, the lazy Pokemon only damaged himself! However, despite the damage, Snorlax fell asleep.

“Electrode, zap him with your Thunderbolt!” Danny shouted. The ball Pokemon quickly shot a bolt of lightning at the Normal-type, doing some severe damage. Snorlax looked exhausted and lay down on his back.

“Snorlax, use your Hyper Beam!” Ash commanded. A strong ray of power was shot at the Electric-type, even strong enough to make the opponent collapse in one hit.

“Electrode, no!” Danny screamed while looking at his Pokemon. “You did a good job, come back,” he said while returning Electrode to its Poke Ball.

“Well done, Snorlax,” Ash complimented his Pokemon. Then, he looked at Danny. “Well, if you anger Snorlax, you lose!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” the Gym Leader admitted, while Ash returned Snorlax to his Poke Ball.

“Bye, Danny!” Misty said.

“And thanks for the battle,” Ash added to that.

“Bye, it was nice to see you two again,” Danny replied.

One day later, Ash and Misty already progressed quite a bit further on the road to New Bark Town.

“Misty, do you have all the clothes you need, or do you need to buy any more clothes before we reach the Johto League? If you do, I hope you’ll do it in New Bark Town, so we got it over with as soon as possible...” Ash asked.

“No, I have everything I need. Six panties and six bras, a few pairs of shoes and socks, a few pairs of jeans, a few belly tops, a cardigan, a winter coat, two pairs of shorts, three skirts and a bikini,” Misty answered.

“Didn’t you once say you always wanted seven panties and seven bras when travelling?” Ash asked.

“Oh my god, you’re right! I must’ve forgotten one pantie and one bra in Blackthorn City’s Pokemon Center while changing my underwear, but going back would take too long... We’ll have to shop for those in New Bark Town,” Misty answered, much to Ash’s annoyance.

“Oh, why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut?” Ash asked himself out loud.

“Because you lack the maturity you need for that?” Misty asked.

“Oh well, at least it’s underwear shopping, that’s hotter than regular clothe shopping with you, at least I get to see sexiness while going with you and telling you how the underwear looks in the store when you ask for my opinion,” Ash said.

“That’s my Ashyboy!” Misty said, while Pikachu and Togetic laughed.

“So you’re not mad about that remark being unromantic?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine. It’s just who you are, so it’s best to laugh about that when possible,” she answered.

As predicted by Misty, one week later, just after breakfast, our heroes finally reached New Bark Town.

“Finally, I can’t wait until I register for the Johto League!” Ash screamed. “Let’s run to the Pokemon Center immediately!”

“Not so fast, Ash," Misty said. “How about paying Professor Elm a visit first? He lives next to the Pokemon Center anyways, it won’t take long.”

“Alright then, why not?” Ash answered. “Maybe he has any new discoveries to show us, we haven’t seen him in almost seven years.”

And so, after walking through the small park and the busy streets in the town, our heroes reached the big building. Togetic rang the doorbell.

A man wearing a white lab coat opened the door. “Hey, Ash and Misty, long time no see!” he said.

“Hi Professor Elm,” Misty replied.

“We’re on our way to Mt. Silver, we were in the neighborhood, so we decided to pay you a visit,” Ash explained.

“That’s nice of you two, how are you two?” the professor asked.

“I’m on my way to register for the Johto League, I have eight Badges. It’s the second time I’m participating in this region,” Ash answered.

“That’s nice,” Professor Elm said. “How about you, Misty?”

“I’m accompanying my boyfriend, and I’m working on becoming a Water Pokemon Master. I won the Whirl Cup months ago, Ash and I are going to Hoenn after the Whirl Cup,” Misty said.

“Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend? That’s so cute! How did you two start your relationship?” the professor asked.

“Well, Ash realized his feelings while he was travelling without me some years ago, I escaped the Cerulean City Gym almost one year ago and already knew I love him back when I was ten years old. Then, he and I met at the beach close to Pallet Town, and things just happened,” Misty explained.

“That’s very romantic. But don’t you two argue way too often to be a couple?” Elm asked.

“Yes, we argue frequently,” Ash admitted.

“But we love each other enough to stay together despite that,” Misty said.

“That’s so sweet!” Elm complimented.

“Professor, we were wondering about something. Did you make any special discoveries recently?” Ash asked.

“Not really...” the professor said. “Wait, there’s one thing, but I’m not supposed to tell you. Oh well, I trust you two, you two can keep a secret, right?” Ash and Misty nodded, causing Elm to tell his story. “Well, during a journey in Hoenn, I encountered a Togepi and saw the Togepi Paradise. I’ve never heard of that place before, but I’m not allowed to tell people about it. However, I hope you two can keep your mouth shut,” the professor replied.

“The Togepi Paradise? We’ve been there once!” Ash said, referring to the time when Misty had to release her Togetic.

“Really? Aww, I thought I discovered something no one aside from the people in the Mirage Kingdom knew about!” Elm said.

“Yes, I released Togetic there to protect the Togepi. However, about a year ago, Togetic suddenly returned to me two years ago, I never knew why,” Misty mentioned. “But I’m happy to have the Pokemon that means everything to me back, Togetic came back to me at the moment I needed her the most. I was suffering from a depression back then, Togetic helped me to get over that.”

“To Togetic!” the cute Pokemon said happily.

“That’s great! And if you want to know why Togetic returned to you, you’d have to ask Queen Sara of the Mirage Kingdom,” Professor Elm said. “Maybe she knows...”

“Oh, alright then,” Misty said. Then, she looked at the professor. “Professor Elm, thank you, it was nice to see you again.”

“It was nice to see you and Ash again as well. Bye! And Ash, good luck in the Johto League, I’ll be rooting for you when it airs on television!” the Professor shouted.

“Thanks!” Ash replied. “Bye!”

And so, Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Togetic left the laboratory and entered the Pokemon Center, next to the lab. While opening the door and entering the building, Pikachu received a kiss on his cheek from Togetic.

“Well, he went to the doctor yesterday, he has a burn-out. The doctor said he can’t work for three months!” Lily said.

“Aww, that’s too bad... And now?” Misty asked.

“That’s pretty much why we’re calling you right now. Misty, you have to take over for three months!” Lily said with a big smile on her face.

“No!” Misty shouted. “I refuse to do that again!”

“But it’s only for a few months...” Lily muttered.

“Well, yeah, but when Dorian can work again, you probably want me to stay at the Gym like a prisoner again... Then you decide Dorian needs an assistant or something like that!” Misty snapped. Ash, Pikachu and Togetic lacked the guts to calm her down, while seeing her red head and fiery eyes. “And besides, Ash is going to participate in the Johto League, and I’m not gonna miss it!”, Misty continued.

“But Misty, we need you! We have no other alternative!” Lily begged.

“You, Violet and Daisy did perfectly fine almost seven years ago, before you three ruined my early teenage years! You three can do it yourselves, but you’re just too lazy and selfish!” Misty snapped.

“We have a very busy schedule for the upcoming weeks. We have manicure this week, pedicure next week, we’re gonna get our hair done the week after that,” Lily explained. “And the first week of the Pokemon League, we’re going on our annual holiday to Sunyshore City, were we’re gonna drink lots of alcohol and party with many guys.”

“Oh, so all that’s more important than me supporting my boyfriend in his big moment?” Misty asked.

“Of course it is, nothing is more important than nails, my hair and partying,” Lily said.

“Just so you know, I’ll repeat myself: I’m not gonna fill in for Dorian! Go look for someone else, you stupid airhead!” Misty snapped. Then, she couldn’t control her anger anymore, resulting in Togetic using Psychic to prevent Misty from wrecking the phone and causing a few hundreds of Poke Dollars of damage.

“But Misty, now what are we supposed to do?” Lily begged. “Thanks to you, the Gym will get closed while we’re partying!”

“Or you three stop being lazy and do some work!” Misty snapped.

Lily slowly walked a few steps away from her video phone. “Daisy, Violet, we have to move our pedicure, there’s a challenger who wants to battle that day,” she shouted at her sisters.

“Oh, damn... Now we have to move our pedicure one day!” Violet moaned. “All thanks to that Arceus damn redhead slave being so stubborn! Why is Misty doing this to us? She always used to do what we told her to, and now she suddenly has her own life to take care of...”

“Misty, are you really sure you’re not willing to consider it?” Lily begged.

“Yes, I am! Good luck running the Gym yourselves, you three can do just fine if you actually put some Arceus damn effort in it!” Misty shouted. “This is a confirmation!”

“Of what?” Violet asked, who came running to the video phone screen.

“Of you three being so f*cking lazy!” Misty snapped. “Bye!” she shouted, while wrecking the phone with her right fist, trying to hit Lily’s nasty face on the screen.

Then, Nurse Joy ran at Misty. “That’ll be 500 Poke Dollar,” she said.

“It was worth releasing my anger on Lily,” Misty responded, while handing over the money.

After Nurse Joy walked away, Ash and Misty were standing outside of the Pokemon Center. “Misty, now you had to pay for wrecking that phone, do you still have enough money for buying new underwear?” Ash asked.

“Nope. We can buy food just fine, but not too many expensive things,” Misty explained.

“Ash, this is a serious issue!” Misty complained. “I really want to stop being so mad at my sisters, but what they’re doing is so unacceptable... But I want a good sister-relationship instead of this anger and hate...”

“Bulbasaur, go!” Ash screamed, while hurling his Poke Ball. Meanwhile, Misty, Pikachu and Togetic were cheering while standing on the sidelines.

“Bulbasaur, let’s start with your Vine Whip!” Ash commanded. He saw how the vines were wrapped around the opponent. After raising Scizor up and crashing it down on the ground, Bulbasaur threw the Pokemon away.

“Nice blow!” Misty said, seeing how Scizor already took major damage.

“You can’t beat Scizor that easily,” Gary said. “Use your Slash!” he shouted. The red Pokemon flew at Bulbasaur and slashed with his big claws, not giving his opponent a chance to evade. Bulbasaur was in a great deal of pain, but managed to stand up.

“Bulbasaur, use your Solarbeam!” Ash commanded. Because of the strong sunlight, the Grass type didn’t have to charge up. However, just before the beam was shot, Scizor quickly shot Bulbasaur in the air with Swift! The yellow stars caused the Pokemon with the bulb to fly upwards.

“Bulbasaur, aim your Solarbeam at Scizor!” Ash shouted just in time. Bulbasaur, hurt by the Swift attack, shot the strong ray of energy at the unsuspecting Scizor.

“Oh no, Scizor!” Gary screamed.

“Bulbasaur, that was sweet!” Ash complimented, while petting his Pokemon on the head.

“Scizor, let’s finish this once and for all! Use your Double Team!” Gary said. The red Pokemon started to create illusions, making it look like he was duplicating himself.

“Bulbasaur, attack them one by one with your Razor Leaf!” Ash said. Sharp leaves were hurled at the ten Scizor one by one. And so, they disappeared after getting hit.

“Scizor, finish it with Slash!” Gary commanded, while two Scizor were left. After seeing Bulbasaur defeat the last illusionary Scizor, the real Scizor slashed Bulbasaur.

“Bulbasaur!” Ash screamed, looking at his defeated Pokemon.

“Scizor, that was amazing!” Gary complimented the Bug-type, while Ash returned his Pokemon to its Poke Ball.

Then, another of his Pokemon suddenly emerged from her Poke Ball. Suddenly, Ash fell down on the ground and noticed a yellow Pokemon was hugging him. “Bayleef, why did you come out of your Poke Ball?” the trainer asked.

“Alright then!” Ash said, while standing up. And so, Bayleef stood in front of Ash, ready to defeat Scizor on the grassy grounds.

“Bayleef, run at Scizor and use your Headbutt!” the Grass Pokemon heard. And so, she ran at the big, red mantis-like creature, preparing to smash her head against it.

“Scizor, Silver Wind!” Gary shouted. A beautiful, shiny wind was shot at Bayleef, who got hurt by a very strong attack.

“Bayleef, you can do it! Try a Solarbeam!” Ash said. The sun was shining so bright that Bayleef didn’t need to charge up the attack. Gary told Scizor to fly away, but the Pokemon wasn’t able to avoid getting hurt by the extremely strong attack.

“Yes, that should do it!” Misty cheered, backed by the Pokemon. “Pi Pikachu!” “Togetic!”

“Sh*t!” Gary cursed. However, his Pokemon was able to surprise him. Scizor stood up!

“What?” Ash showed. While the Pokemon moved up, he thought about how difficult it would be to win. “This is unbelievable!” he thought.

“Bayleef, Vine Whip!” Ash said happily. And so, Scizor got grabbed by the vines before he was able to hit Ash’s Pokemon.

“Great!” Ash complimented. “And now, smack him down on the ground and use your Body Slam!” The Grass Pokemon hurled the Pokemon up and down. Then, she jumped on it with a crushing attack.

“Scizor, are you okay?” the worried Gary asked his Pokemon.

“Sci...” his Pokemon moaned.

“You were awesome, have some well-deserved rest,” Gary said.

“Bayleef, you did it!” Ash shouted, while receiving a hug from the Pokemon that jumped on him. Then, the Grass-type gently put her lips on Ash’s cheek, causing the trainer to smile. Meanwhile, Misty didn’t seem to enjoy the Grass-type’s behaviour.

Then, the two saw Gary already sent out his last Pokemon. A three-headed bird stood on the grass, ready to attack with its sharp beaks and big feet.

“Hey, Gary, I didn’t know you have a Dodrio!” Ash said.

“Do you remember the time you were at Oak’s lab before the Kanto League seven years ago? Back then, you saw my Doduo. And now, you’re going to suffer a defeat from him,” Gary explained.

“Sorry, but I’m afraid those three heads will suffer,” Ash said.

“Dodrio, use your Peck!” Gary shouted. The big bird ran at Bayleef, attempting to stab her with its three beaks.

“Bayleef, use your Vine Whip!” Ash said, causing the long, green vines to be wrapped around two of Dodrio’s heads. However, Ash didn’t think off how to control the one on the left, the one that wasn’t constricted. Then, Bayleef suffered a Drill Peck!

“Bayleef, can you go on?” Ash asked. However, when he saw the Pokemon that has a crush on him laying on the ground, he knew he lost the match. “Bayleef, you did a great job. Have some rest,” he said, while putting Bayleef in the Poke Ball.

“Gary, Gary, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can! Go, Gary!” the girls in the big, red limousine sang.

“Ash, you’re a loser. Don’t even bother going to Mt. Silver, you won’t even win the pre-rounds!” Gary teased. Then, he walked up to his fancy car. “Let’s go, girls. This loser isn’t worth any more time,” he said. And so, the big car drove away. Meanwhile, the troll’s rival had a tear in his eye.

“Ash, are you... Are you crying?” Misty asked, while noticing how tears slowly moved from Ash’s eyes to his cheeks.

“Pi Pi Pi...” Pikachu said.

“Waaahhhh...” the Pallet Town-native cried. “I never won a League, and now I can’t even beat Gary!”

“Well, you lost now, but you can beat him, you’ve beaten him quite a few times this year!” Misty tried to cheer up her boyfriend. Togetic nodded.

“It’s not true, you’re just trying to comfort me!” Ash cried. “I’m just not good enough... If I can’t win the Johto League this year, I’ll quit being a Pokemon Trainer and I’ll quit travelling!” he decided.

“Then I’ll just go live with my mommy and do nothing...” Ash answered.

“Well, your mom will be old and die someday, then what are you going to do to earn a living? You have no education!” Misty countered. “Winning Leagues can also bring in money, and if you become the Champion of a region, you’ll have enough money to never work anymore in your entire life! And besides, it’s your dream, this is what you want! This is what you like!”

“I don’t know...” Ash moaned.

“Well, there’s only one thing you can do! You were born to battle and you’re going to battle! I won’t allow you to quit, even if some amateur beats you in the first pre-round!” Misty snapped. “Next year, we’re going to Hoenn, and you’re going with me! No one can change that!”

“I suppose you’re right... But I just don’t know if I’m truly fit for my dreams... I participated in so many Leagues and didn’t even win once...” Ash said.

“You won the Orange League and the Battle Frontier! You defeated Drake, he’s much better than Gary or any random League opponent! If you can beat him, you can beat your League opponents!” Misty shouted in Ash’s ear.

“This is definitely gonna be my last League in a while if I don’t win this year,” Ash said softly. “I will join you to Hoenn, but if I lose now, don’t expect me to take part in the Hoenn League...”

“Pi Pikachu!” Pikachu shouted, backed by Togetic. “Toge Togetic!”

“Oh well then, if you lose, I’m sure you won’t give up. I know you, Ash Ketchum,” Misty whispered in his ear.

Wow this is an out of charater momment for Ash here. I don't think that Ash will ever cry over losing a battle. What I see in the anime, Ash loves battling so much that he doesn't care that much if he lose or win. He love battling stronger oppenents and see that he still has a lot to learn and get strong with his Pokemon. I can say that Ash only cry when he leaves someone like Misty or his Pokemon. I don't want Ash to cry like this that make some of his martury in the other seasons thown out the window. Also I can go into both sides of Misty and her sisters arguement here. Misty's sister needs to take reseponable of their actions of being the gym leaders and Misty need to learn that life isn't fair. I know that Misty said that they are treating her like a "Slave" but in the real world there are something we have to do that we don't have control over. If this keeps up then all the Water Pokemon they have will lose their home and have nowhere else to go.

Wow this is an out of charater momment for Ash here. I don't think that Ash will ever cry over losing a battle. What I see in the anime, Ash loves battling so much that he doesn't care that much if he lose or win. He love battling stronger oppenents and see that he still has a lot to learn and get strong with his Pokemon. I can say that Ash only cry when he leaves someone like Misty or his Pokemon. I don't want Ash to cry like this that make some of his martury in the other seasons thown out the window. Also I can go into both sides of Misty and her sisters arguement here. Misty's sister needs to take reseponable of their actions of being the gym leaders and Misty need to learn that life isn't fair. I know that Misty said that they are treating her like a "Slave" but in the real world there are something we have to do that we don't have control over. If this keeps up then all the Water Pokemon they have will lose their home and have nowhere else to go.

Well, Ash is afraid he's not good enough for the League. He lost many leagues and lost his self-confidence, that's why he cried. I can see why this might've been a bit dramatic, I just tried to make the League more interesting by making Ash decide this might be his last League if he doesn't win this time.

"Misty needs to learn that life isn't fair." Yes, life isn't fair, but do people need to accept that? No. People should try to make life as fair as possible, instead of accepting to be treated like crap. Misty has every right to be mad at her sisters here. Of course she exaggerated when saying "slave", but it does depict how she felt. And yes, there are things in life we don't have control over, but now Misty is on a journey with Ash in the fic, this is something she does have control over. She can simply say "no" and refuse to listen to her sisters, and that's what she's doing here.

"If this keeps up then all the Water Pokemon they have will lose their home and have nowhere else to go." Not really... Misty's sisters can run the Gym just fine, they proved that in the anime during the entire Kanto, Orange Islands and Johto seasons. Yes, they're lazy, but in the fic, now they know Misty isn't going to fill in for Dorian, they'll do the job just fine. And in the fic, Dorian is normally the Gym Leader, so when he recovered, he can start running the Gym again, and he does a great job.

Two days after losing to Gary in the grasslands of Johto, our heroes were passing through a dark, humid cave with lots of water.

“Misty, how long will it take before we finally get out of this stupid cave?” Ash asked. The look in his eyes showed how annoyed he was.

“I don’t know, stop your nagging!” Misty snapped.

Then, Ash saw some light. “Hey, it seems like we’re almost at the end!” he shouted.

“Finally!” the relieved Misty sighed.

However, when they wanted to exit the deep, dark cave called Tohjo Falls, two people and a cat who were waiting at the outside of the cave jumped in front of them.

“Prepare for trouble!” a red-haired lady shouted.

“And make it double!” a purple-haired man added to that.

“Oh no, not them again...” Ash thought, while the team continued their anthem.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all peoples within our nation!”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“James!”

“Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

“Meowth! That’s right!” the Pokemon added to the motto.

“Were you three responsible for stealing Trinity’s money some time ago?” Misty asked.

“Yes, it was us. Unfortunately, that punk with his cheerleaders had to screw up our plans to get rich,” James said. “Oh well, we at least escaped the police.”

“Now back to business, give us that Pikachu!” Jessie commanded.

“Never!” Ash shouted.

Then, a group of four butterflies, including one pink one, suddenly flew to the spot just at the outside of the cave. The Bug-types scattered some spore over Team Rocket.

Ash suddenly pointed at one of the four butterflies, the one wearing a yellow scarf. “Misty, look, it’s Butterfree!” Ash shouted. He remembered one of the most painful moments in his life. Almost seven years ago, he released his Butterfree, the first Pokemon he ever caught, to breed with a pink female Butterfree.

“I suppose they live here now. I’ve heard the forest just north of Tohjo Falls is populated by lots of Butterfree,” Misty said. Meanwhile, she saw how the three criminals were paralyzed by the Stun Spore released by Butterfree, his wife and his two children. Then, Ash’s Butterfree started to talk to Ash after hugging him.

“I wish I could understand what Butterfree was saying... I can get the gist of it, but I want to know every detail for sure...” Ash moaned. Then, he got an idea. “Meowth, if you’ll translate what Butterfree is saying, I won’t report you three to the police! If you refuse, you three can rot in jail!”

“Alright then, you sure play it hard, you twerp!” Meowth said.

And so, Butterfree started talking to Meowth, who was able to speak clearly despite being stunned by the yellow powder. The cat directly translated everything and told the ‘twerps’ what the Butterfree language meant. “After leaving you to breed with my wife, we flew to Johto, where we ended up living in the forest just up north. There, she and I had two beautiful children, a female and a male Caterpie. Now, they’re Butterfree, just like my wife and me. When we saw Team Rocket, we immediately followed them, we knew they were up to no good. So we followed them and were happy to see you and Misty here!”

“Butterfree, that is awesome! Misty and I are a couple now too, and we’re on our way to the Johto League,” Ash explained. “I’m so happy to see you again, I’ve always wondered how you were doing.”

“Johto League? Is that like the Pokemon League in Kanto, that tournament you wanted to collect Badges for when I was still with you?” Meowth asked, directly translating Butterfree?

“Yes, it is. Would you like to join me? Then you can participate in the tournament, and then go back to your family after that! It starts next week, it will last some weeks until the final is finished,” Ash offered.

“Absolutely, if it’s okay with my wife and kids! I’ve always wondered how such a tournament would be!” Butterfree said, translated for Ash by Meowth. After some seconds of Butterfree-talk later, Butterfree said his family was okay with it, despite missing him. They were happy he got the chance to experience such a tournament.

“Awesome! I have one team spot left, you’re lucky,” Ash said. And so, Butterfree hugged his wife and kids, telling them he’d fly back to them after the tournament ended. Then, Ash put his former Pokemon in an empty Poke Ball.

“You can’t just leave us here like this! Come back and make one of those Water Pokemon use a Water attack to make the powder wear off!” James screamed.

“If we do that, you three will try to capture Pikachu again. Screw you three, I hope some dangerous wild Pokemon will come to eat you!” Ash said, despite knowing the wild Pokemon in Tohjo Falls weren’t dangerous or aggressive.

And so, our heroes walked out of the cave and entered a lush, green, grassy area. While Butterfree’s family flew to their home tree in the forest, Ash and Misty looked on the map.

“Where will we go now? There’s a way to the west and a way to the east...” Misty asked.

“Well, both lead to a place deep in this forest, this map isn’t very clear, it’s not clear what way leads to Mt. Silver...” Ash said. “Maybe Togetic could fly upwards to see the forest from above, so she can decide where to go?”

“No, the forest is too difficult to see from above, the trees are really thick! We need to guess and hope we’re going the right way...” Misty said.

“Then do you have any idea what road we should take?” he asked.

“Not really...” she said. “Maybe you could ask Butterfree.”

“Hey, yeah,” he said. Then, he took a Poke Ball from his belt, making his old and new Pokemon emerge from it. “Butterfree, we don’t know whether we should go east or west if we want to pass through this forest and then go onwards to Mt. Silver... You live here, could you please lead us through this forest? Then you can fly in front of us, and we can follow you.”

“Free!” the butterfly shouted while nodding. The yellow-scarfed Pokemon flew to the eastern entrance of the forest, followed by Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Togetic.

In the deep, thick forest, our heroes saw lots of wild Butterfree, mostly couples. Much to Misty’s fear, she saw a Caterpie breaking out of an egg, while two parents were sitting in a tree looking at the miracle of life. “I hate this place! Look, a Caterpie!”

“Misty, relax, it’s just a baby! And he’s in that tree, he won’t bother you,” Ash said.

“It still scares me...” Misty moaned, while pointing at two Metapod in a tree.

“Really, it’s not a big deal, they’re just in trees,” Ash said.

A few seconds later, the fear truly struck Misty. “HELP! A CATERPIE ON MY JEANS!” she screamed, while seeing the wild, green worm crawling on her leg. She quickly shaked her leg to get it off her, running forward, forcing Ash, Pikachu, Togetic and Butterfree to follow her at high speed.

Some hours later, our heroes were in a deeper part of the forest. Here, there were no wild bugs, only some other Pokemon. Because of that, Misty felt much more comfortable walking here. Then, Ash suddenly saw a gray, armour-like Pokemon hugging his leg. “Pupi! Pupitar!” the Pokemon squealed with a low, deep voice. The group stopped walking and flying, so they could look at the Pokemon that got Ash’s attention.

“Hey, I think this Pupitar is the Larvitar that joined our group years ago!” Ash said.

“That’s so cool!” Misty said. The Pokemon matured a lot, and wasn’t like the scared baby from six years ago anymore. Now, this Pokemon was strong, tough and felt comfortable around a strange Butterfree and when being pet by Misty.

“It’s an awesome day for me! I got reunited with Butterfree early this morning, and now, at the end of the afternoon, I see you again!” Ash said.

“Pupi!” the nodding Rock-type agreed.

However, then, a big net was hurled from the sky. “We got him!” Ash heard someone saying up from above.

“They must’ve been faster than us in this balloon,” Ash said. Then, Butterfree quickly flew at the Meowth-shaped object in the air. “Butterfree, cut the balloon with your Air Cutter!” he commanded. A gust of harsh, cutting wind was created by the butterfly’s wings, popping the balloon, causing it to crash down. However, what Ash didn’t expect, was how the wind caused the balloon to go up, down, right and left before finally crashing down somewhere in the forest.

“Hurry, let’s go there to see how Pupitar is doing!” Ash shouted, while following Butterfree, who saw the balloon crashing down east of the place Ash and Misty were standing.

And so, after walking past the big trees and wild Flying- and Ground-type Pokemon in the forest, the group saw the wrecked balloon.

“But... Where’s Pupitar? And where’s Team Rocket?” Misty asked.

“Hey, look! Footprints of those crooks!” Ash said. And so, the group followed the hints in the soil.

Meanwhile, in a small, wooden forest hut, two evil people and their Meowth were talking. “James, you should’ve aimed better! We wanted Pikachu, not Pupitar!” Jessie snapped.

“Yeah, some lame rock isn’t going to satisfy the Boss!” Meowth complained. “There goes my dream of being his top cat...”

“Don’t you see this is even better?” James tried to justify his mistake. “Pupitar is pretty rare, and can evolve into Tyranitar!” he explained, pointing at the small, black cage in which Pupitar was held hostage.

“Pupi...” the Pokemon shouted, while tackling the bars.

“You can stop tackling, this cage resists lots of attacks used often by the twerps. Electric attacks, but also Tackle and other attacks based on physical force and nothing else,” James explained.

“Is there anything the bars of this cage doesn’t resist?” Jessie asked.

“The power of an Azumarill smashing at full power when its Huge Power kicks in, but that girl twerp doesn’t know that,” Meowth said.

“Oh well, they won’t find us here, the door is locked and the windows are closed,” James said.

“Yeah. And besides, the curtains are closed, so they can’t see us here either,” Jessie said.

However, then, the evil trio heard something smashing on the door. They heard a female voice as well. “Azumarill, Tackle!” Then, the door broke, and Ash, Misty, Butterfree, Pikachu, Togetic Azumarill and Bayleef stood in the doorway.

“Bayleef, use your Vine Whip to grab that cage!” Ash said. And so, the Grass Pokemon took the cage outside of the forest hut.

“Now we’ve got to figure out how to break this thing,” Ash said.

“Azumarill, try a Tackle!” Misty said. The aqua rabbit charged into the strong bars, but didn’t manage to break them.

“Maybe an electric attack?” Ash thought. “Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!” However, the shocks that emerged from the electric mouse’s cheeks weren’t enough to wreck the bars.

“Maybe fire?” Misty thought. Togetic tried a Fire Blast, but even that didn’t break the bars.

“Azumarill, maybe a perfect Double-Edge at full power?” Misty asked.

“NO!” James screamed. Then, he threw a Poke Ball. “Roselia, go, use your Sleep Powder on that blue rat!” And just in time to prevent the bars from breaking, Azumarill was struck and fell asleep.

“Why did you do that?” Ash asked. “Is Azumarill somehow able to break this cage?”

“She’s asleep now, so she won’t be breaking anything for now,” Jessie said.

However, then, something unexpected happened. The Rock-type in the cage was shrouded in white light.

“Look, Pupitar is evolving!” Meowth said, while watching how the Pokemon grew, breaking the cage.

“Tyranitar!” the giant Dark-type screamed.

“We own a Tyranitar now!” Jessie said.

“Tyranitar, use your Iron Tail on those twerps!” James commanded. However, the big dinosaur turned around and looked at the three criminals.

“He’s not looking very friendly...” Jessie muttered. Then, the Pokemon indeed used Iron Tail, but instead of hitting the good guys, the bad guys were slammed in the sky.

“Team Rocket’s blasting off again!” Jessie, James and Meowth screamed.

“Tyranitar, that was awesome!” Misty said.

“Yeah, you’ve really grown a lot since we last saw you!” Ash complimented.

“Well, yeah, but we saw his mom years ago, she’s probably old now and might need her son helping her with things. And besides, you have plenty of strong Pokemon, and you could always call Liza to get Charizard. And Butterfree joining you for a while is already a big surprise,” Misty said.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ash admitted. “I’m definitely going to call Liza once we arrive at Mt. Silver. By the way, when will we be there?”

“I suppose it’s going to take five days, while the first battle is in seven days,” Misty answered.

“That’s your birthday,” Ash said. “Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes, especially because of the gift you bought me and because of your battle,” Misty said.

A while later, our heroes finally escaped the forest. The area here was pretty similar to the one between Blackthorn City and New Bark Town, a rocky, mountainous, dry road. “It’s so hot here...” Ash complained. “Summer started, the effect is easy to feel here...”

“Yeah, the trees in the forest worked like an umbrella, but now we’re in the sunlight...” Misty said, while Ash wiped his forehead and took off his long-sleeved shirt, only to replace it with a short-sleeved one.

“Ash, I’m going to put on some less warm clothes now, I’ll be behind that rock. I don’t think it’s polite to undress in front of the Pokemon,” Misty said, while walking to a big rock.

“Free Free!” the Bug-type snapped, causing Pikachu to get a furious look in his eyes.

“You guys, stop fighting!” Ash screamed. Togetic tried to grab Pikachu and take him a few steps away from Butterfree, but failed.

Then, Misty walked away from the rock, wearing her new attire. The long jeans were replaced by a short, black skirt, while the white, long-sleeved shirt was put in her bag, in favour of a sleeveless black top that exposed her bellybutton. While Ash immediately gushed over his girlfriend, Misty wasn’t able to stop Butterfree and Pikachu from arguing.

“Why are they snapping like that?” Misty asked. However, Ash didn’t hear her, he was staring at the way her summer attire complemented her body and showed once again why Ash saw her as the sexiest girl on the planet.

“Makes sense,” Ash said. “Bayleef, I choose you!” he said, while hurling a Poke Ball, only to be hugged by the Grass Pokemon coming out of the ball.

“Bayleef, you’re awesome, but you need to do something else than hugging now,” Ash laughed. “Do you see Pikachu and Butterfree over there? Use your Sweet Scent, so they stop fighting.”

“Bay!” the Pokemon shouted, while getting off Ash’s body and spreading an aroma that causes fighting Pokemon to get friendly.

“Free!” the calmed butterfly said to Pikachu, meaning “Sorry for fighting, no hard feelings?”

“Pika Pi,” Pikachu agreed, shaking Butterfree’s hand.

“It’s working,” Ash said to Misty. “Thanks for this idea! And besides, that outfit is so hot! That belly! Those legs!”

“Thanks,” Misty said, while Ash returned Bayleef and Butterfree to their Poke Balls. “I’m glad you like it, and I’m glad this feels much cooler than my other outfit, this fits the warm weather nicely.”

“Now, we’ll just continue to Mt. Silver. Are there any natural hindrances, like caves, deserts, snowy areas or water?” Ash asked.

“Let’s check the map,” Misty said, while taking the map of Johto from her bag.

“I don’t see any hindrances,” Ash said. “We can just walk north and then we’ll get there.”

“Great!” Misty responded. “But there’s one hindrance, the heat...”

“There are no trees that can prevent us from having to walk in the full sunlight...” Ash complained. “But we need to walk like normally, I don’t want to be late for my battle!”

One week after meeting Butterfree again, our heroes finally reached Mt. Silver. Every single participant in the Johto League got to stay in a hotel room for free for as long as the tournament lasts for them. There, they had a two-person bed for all candidates and their partners, if they had one, some beds for guests in a separate room, a video phone, a television, a toilet and any other basic needs. The Pokemon League Agency wanted to make sure every candidate could prepare himself or herself as well as possible, while also relaxing enough to clear the mind.

And so, this morning, Ash woke up early. He knew this was a very special day. This was about more than just this first League battle late in the afternoon, and more than finally finding out who his first opponent would be, which would be revealed at the end of this morning. While Pikachu, Togetic and Misty were still asleep, he made breakfast for himself and his girlfriend, while putting Pokemon food on the table for Pikachu and Togetic, while adding ketchup to it for Pikachu. He wasn’t able to put together a big party for Misty like on his own birthday, simply because he lacked the money and wasn’t able to invite enough people. Yeah, he could’ve invited the Sensational Sisters, but after Misty’s recent arguments with them, he didn’t think that would’ve been a very good idea. Meanwhile, he didn’t think May, Drew, Max, Dawn, Zoey, Iris or Cilan would want to come all the way to Johto for someone they met only once, twice or three times, while Bonnie, Clemont or Serena never even met Misty. Meanwhile, Tracey was too busy filling in for Professor Oak at the laboratory, who had to go on a trip to Johto together with Delia, Ash’s mother, not telling Ash what they were going to do. However, in a phonecall some days ago, Brock and Lucy promised to visit Ash for his Johto League entry and Misty’s birthday. They would be there today, but didn’t tell Ash when exactly they would be there. He didn’t tell Misty about this, in order to keep this a surprise.

And so, at half past eight in the morning, Ash went to the bedroom and shouted “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISTY!” Then, his girlfriend woke up.

“Um... Thanks...” the sleepy girl replied. “I’ll be in the living room in thirty minutes.” Then, she quickly took off her pyjamas, took a shower, brushed her teeth and put on the black summer clothes Ash seemed to like a lot. Then, she came in the room like promised, where Ash, Pikachu and Togetic were waiting for her. After quickly eating their sandwiches, it was finally time for some presents.

“Misty, do you remember how I bought something for you in Blackthorn City’s shopping mall? Well, I’ve got two tickets for a train trip to Humilau City in Unova! I know you like Water Pokemon and travelling, and I know you’ve never been there yet, so I thought you’d like going to a sunny beach city with Water Pokemon where you’ve never been before!” Ash said happily, while handing over the two tickets.

“Ash, that’s amazing! Thank you so much, we’ll have a great time there!” Misty responded. “I’ve got to admit I was afraid you’d have some unromantic present, but this is perfect!” Meanwhile, Pikachu and Togetic fantasized about romantic beach days together.

“There’s more,” Ash said. “This morning, before you woke up, the mailman of the League hotel brought me this, it’s for you.”

“A letter? I wonder who sent it to me,” Misty said. Then, she quickly opened it and read it aloud for Ash.

“Dear Misty,

I know you must be at the Johto League hotel at Mt. Silver now, because the Johto League is starting at the day this letter should arrive at Mt. Silver’s League hotel.

It was nice to be your rival for a year. Right now, Rudy and I are heading for Sinnoh. I’ve heard you’re going to Hoenn with Ash after the Johto League, so we won’t see each other anymore for a very long while. I want you to know that I really cherished our friendship and rivalry, and I hope you and Ash will keep having a great relationship. Rudy and I are getting along very well, he’s such a romantic guy. He bought me roses yesterday, and he’s a great kisser. But even though Ash isn’t that romantic, I know he’s still a nice guy and I’m sure he’s the right one for you. Anyways, even though I’m sad to end our rivalry for the time being, I won’t say goodbye forever. I hope to see you again someday. Then, we’ll battle for sure!

Sincerely,
Marina (and Rudy)

P.S. Happy birthday!”

“Will you miss her a lot?” Ash asked.

“We didn’t see each other that often, but it was still nice to see her every now and then. She’s a kind person and a nice opponent in battles as well,” Misty said. “By the way, Ash, do you think Sinnoh could be an interesting region for us to travel once we’ve been to Hoenn?” she asked.

“I’m not sure... There’s not much related to Water Pokemon there, Hoenn is a more watery region, the entire east of Hoenn consists of water and islands,” Ash answered. “But I suppose there must be a tournament like the Whirl Cup there, so it could still be interesting. And besides, you’ve never been there, seeing new parts of our planet is always interesting for you, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Misty said. “I’m just really looking forward to our holiday to Humilau and our journey through Johto. But first, this League. Have you already seen who you’ll battle now?”

“Not yet,” Ash said. “I’ll go look at the Pokemon Center now, the fixtures should be revealed there now.” However, when he opened the door, two people he knew stood in front of him. A slightly tanned man with black hair and squinted eyes greeted him, and so did a black-haired woman Ash once battled.

“In that magazine, you can read what Water Pokemon can be caught in what locations, you can look up the natural habitats in Hoenn of the Water Pokemon in the region,” Brock explained.

“We bought this because we knew you’re going to Hoenn with Ash soon,” Lucy said.

“That sounds like a really useful gift,” Ash said.

“Also, Ash, did you already look to see who you will battle today?” Brock asked.

“Not really, you two arrived just when I was about to look,” Ash answered.

“Well, I checked it out for you. At four o’clock, you’re going to battle Casey for the first pre-round in stadium A,” Brock said. This location had four stadiums: A, B, C and D. In the past, small battlefields were used for early pre-rounds, but now, the Pokemon League Agency passed a rule that forced League organisations to host every single official battle that’s part of the tournament in a big stadium, in order to make room for a bigger audience.

“How about Bayleef?” Lucy suggested. “She can take any Electric attack with ease, and she’s one of your strongest Pokemon.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Misty said. “Anyways, Brock and Lucy, we haven’t seen you in a while, how are you and Lucy doing?” she asked.

“We’re doing great,” Brock said. “I help Lucy with giving her Pokemon the right food and lots of other things I’ve learned as a Pokemon Breeder, while also being able to cure her Pokemon when they’re ill. In my new job as Lucy’s personal assistant, I can use both my Doctor and Breeder skills.”

“Isn’t it weird to have your boyfriend as your personal assistant?” Misty asked.

“Not really, she isn’t like a boss to me, and it means she can safely trust me with anything,” Brock assured.

“Yeah, we’re running the Battle Pike together. Sure, I’m doing the battles, but Brock is doing just as much work as I am, if not more. We own the Pike together and both have equal authority over things at our Frontier Facility,” Lucy said.

“Brock, did you also see if any other people we know besides Casey participate in the League?” Misty asked.

“Yes, I did,” Brock answered. “I didn’t look over the entire fixtures, I just wanted to see who your opponent would be, but I saw Gary, Harrison and Paul being in the tournament as well. Oh yeah, and also Melody!”

“Yeah, then I can understand why you don’t like her,” Lucy said. “But is there really a reason for you to truly hate her?”

“Um... Something painful that happened some months ago increased my hatred towards her,” Misty said, trying to get out of the questions. She didn’t want to talk about her anger problem again, and didn’t want to tell Brock and Lucy about how Ash was close to doing something intimate with Melody, which is the main reason for her hatred.

“What is it?” Brock asked.

“That’s none of your business,” Ash snapped, referring to the way Ash and Misty temporary broke up between Mahogany Town and Ice Path, and how Melody almost shared the bed with Ash. He knew Misty didn’t want to talk about this experience to others than Ash.

“Well, it all started just before Ash and I were in Mahogany Town,” Misty started explaining. “Just when Ash tried to catch a stupid wild Venomoth, Robert, the lure maker on the Whirl Islands suddenly appeared and tried to kiss me. I didn’t want it and was barely able to shove him away, but Ash thought I was cheating on him. He didn’t believe me, while I should’ve tried harder to convince him and explain things. We both were furious at each other and broke up. Melody, who caught the Venomoth Ash wanted, saw everything, and she got together with Ash...”

“Well, it’s just that she won’t stop, and also something painful Ash will tell you about now,” Misty answered.

“Hey, why me?” Ash asked.

“Because you actually experienced this,” Misty snapped.

“Alright, alright, calm down...” Ash moaned. “Anyways, Melody and I were getting along well, and I developed a little crush on her. After beating Pryce, she and I were going to sleep just in front of Ice Path. Then, Melody wanted to get intimate with me. However, then, I remembered how awesome things were when I was with Misty, and knew I needed to get her back. So I ran inside Ice Path to hide from Melody. Then, Pikachu and I fell asleep, and I don’t remember what happened after that. Maybe Misty could explain that.”

“Wow, that’s heavy,” Brock said to Misty. “I think I get why you hate Melody now...”

“Yes, that’s it,” Misty admitted. “Anyways, meanwhile, I was looking for Ash all the time, and then saw Melody, who told me Ash ran towards Ice Path the last time she saw him. And so, I went in there too, and saw Ash, who was stupid enough to go to sleep in the coldest spot of Johto. He was frozen, so Togetic and Gyarados tried to defreeze him with their Flamethrower. However, that wasn’t enough to wake Ash up, I was afraid he froze to death. However, then, Azumarill used Hydro Pump on Ash’s face, waking him up. And so, we got back together.”

“I can understand why you wouldn’t tell this story to anyone,” Lucy said. “I won’t tell anyone about this.”

“Sorry for pushing you so hard,” Brock said softly.

“No hard feelings,” Ash replied.

“Yeah, you’re our best friend, I know we can trust you with this,” Misty said.

“Thanks,” Brock responded.

Some hours later, Brock, Lucy and Misty were sitting on the coaching bench just behind the place where Ash stood, joined by the cheerleading Pikachu, Togetic, Hoppip and Azumarill. “Go, Ash!” Misty shouted.

“Thanks,” Ash said. He just shook hands with Casey, his opponent. The battle, conducted on a Grass field, was about to begin.

“Trainers, ready? Choose your Pokemon!” the referee shouted. This was a one-on-one battle, which meant Ash could only choose one Pokemon, which he had to register half an hour before the battle.

“Bayleef, I choose you!” Ash said, while hurling a Poke Ball. Meanwhile, he saw how Casey sent out her Electabuzz, just like expected. Then, from the other side of the field, he was somewhat able to hear her singing the Electabuzz Song.

“This is gonna be a cakewalk,” Ash thought.

“Trainers, begin!” the referee shouted.

“Electabuzz, let’s start with a Thunderbolt!” Casey commanded, causing her Pokemon to attempt to zap his opponent. However, her typing prevented the attack from having any effect.

“Bayleef, use your Sweet Scent!” Ash said. And so, the Grass Pokemon started to spread a mild aroma from the big leaf on her head, causing Electabuzz to be distracted and mellowed out.

“Bayleef, use your Headbutt!” Ash said. The Pokemon with the leaf ran at the baseball mascot of Casey’s favourite team, smashing him against the wall with her head. The Electric-type was hurt, but was able to stand up and go on.

“Bayleef, use your Vine Whip on his arms!” Ash said. The Grass-type stopped the Electric-type in its attempts to punch. Then, following her trainer’s commands, she smashed Electabuzz up and down a few times. Then, the opponent stood up.

“Now, finish it with Razor Leaf!” Ash shouted, causing Bayleef to hurl sharp leaves at Electabuzz, who was too weak to properly avoid the attack, causing him to collapse.

“Electabuzz is defeated, Bayleef is the winner!” the referee announced. “Ash is the winner of the first pre-round, he’ll advance to the next round, which takes place tomorrow.”

“I did it!” Ash thought, while running at Bayleef for a hug.

“Wow, that was easy,” Misty said to Brock and Lucy.

“Maybe a bit too easy,” the Pike Queen moaned.

“How come?” Brock asked.

“If he wins too easily, he might get cocky and think the next opponent will be as easy as Casey today, while he just got lucky he had a type advantage. And because it was a one-on-one match, Casey had no other Pokemon to deal with Bayleef,” Lucy explained.

“It wouldn’t be the first time Ash would do that,” Misty said, referring to a moment on the Orange Islands almost seven years ago. Back then, he was on a winning streak and felt invincible. However, then, he suffered a horrible loss against Prima. “And if the battles aren’t official, it’s not a big deal. But during a tournament like the Johto League, it could ruin his challenge and cause him to lose...”

“Yeah, but how do we make him realize this victory wasn’t anything remarkable?” Brock asked.

Later that day, in the evening, Ash and Misty were in their two-person bed, while Brock and Lucy had their own in the guest room. Pikachu and Togetic were already asleep.

“Misty, did you have a nice birthday?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Misty replied. “Your gift, Brock and Lucy being there, you winning your first match... that’s all nice, as long as you don’t get too cocky about your win now...”

“No, I promise I won’t,” Ash said quickly, to get rid of the topic related to his behaviour after the battle.

“Good night, Ash,” Misty said.

“Not yet,” Misty said. One hour later, in which Ash gave Misty an unexpected last birthday gift and some hugs, the couple fell asleep.

A few days after Ash’s win against Casey, our heroes were sitting in the hotel room with Lucy and Brock. During the past few days, Ash progressed through the other two pre-rounds with ease, thanks to his Snorlax and Pikachu. Today, he was about to battle Paul in the second stage of the tournament. Here, trainers were paired in groups of three, from which only one trainer would progress. A win would net a competitor three points, a draw means one point for both, while a loss leaves the loser with zero points. Stan, the young Ledyba trainer Ash met in Ilex Forest was in the group as well, but he suffered a defeat against both Paul and Ash. Today, the two winners would decide who progresses to the knockout stage of the tournament.

“You sure have a big battle coming up soon,” Lucy said. “Do you already know what Pokemon you want to use?”

“Well, thanks to the book Dawn and Zoey gave me for my birthday some months ago, I knew it would be good to look up what Pokemon the opponent would use. I think he’s going with Gliscor, Torterra and Hariyama, he also used those three in his battle against Stan,” Ash answered. “So, I decided to face him with Totodile, Quilava and Butterfree, to take advantage of type advantages.”

“Ash, don’t you think Paul would use some other Pokemon now? Stan was obviously weaker than you, so he might’ve thought he could win using some of his weaker Pokemon. I think he’s going to use his strongest Pokemon against you. If I recall it right, that would be Torterra, Honchkrow and Electivire,” Brock countered.

“Violet, Lily and I have been drinking,” Daisy explained. “When we came home from the night club in Vermilion City, we wanted to call you before going to bed, but we forgot. I just remembered, so I called you.”

“That’s not surprising at all,” Misty said.

“So what are you up to?” Daisy asked.

“Ash is going to battle Paul in a while, we’re about to go to the stadium,” Misty answered.

“So he survived the pre-rounds? That’s great to hear!” Daisy said.

“Daisy, there’s something I thought about for some time now. I want to tell you I forgive you. Yes, you’re an airhead, but that’s just who you are. You seem truly remorseful for what happened to me, and you do seem to care about me more than Lily and Violet,” Misty said. A tear flew down her right eye.

“Misty... I don’t know what to say...” Daisy said. “This feels like a huge relief to me!”

“That’s nice,” Misty replied. “I thought I forgave you three after the Whirl Cup, but then I got those phone calls from you that bothered the hell out of me. And maybe I thought I forgave you because you were pushing it so hard back then, but I still wasn’t ready for it. Now, I feel like I can truly forgive you.”

“And how about Lily and Violet?” Daisy asked, while the two sisters stood behind her, about to do a fashion shoot with lots of girly dresses, mostly pink. Meanwhile, Brock stood in front of the phone, gushing over Daisy and her fashionable pink dress like a total perv. However, Lucy dragged him away from the screen in the same way Misty, Max and Croagunk used to do that. “Croagunk is left at the Battle Pike, but you’re not going to get away with gushing this easily!” Lucy teased.

“But Misty, those things happened in the past. Forgive and forget,” Lily shouted, in an attempt to force Misty to get over it.

“That’s easy to say if you’ve never been trapped for years! You never lost the love of your life for six years! You wouldn’t even find that love, because all you do is party in night clubs with random guys! You never had to give up on your dreams in order to fulfil someone else’s dirty work! You can do those stupid shows of yours at the Gym! You never had to release the Pokemon you had a special bond with like I had to do with Togetic seven years ago!” Misty snapped. “You never even released one of your Pokemon!”

“So? You are with Ash again, Dorian is the Gym Leader and we’re taking over now he has a burn-out, and Togetic returned two years ago. Everything is fine again,” Violet said.

“It’s not, all that gave me a huge trauma!” Misty screamed. “You should learn from Daisy, she actually realized what you three did to me and is honestly remorseful!”

“Yeah, but I’m not Daisy. Really, the only reason Daisy suddenly became boring and less like Lily and me is because she was influenced by Tracey’s boringness!” Violet countered.

“Could be, but at least Daisy is capable of caring about others than herself!” Misty snapped. Then, she threw the phone horn on the ground, getting lucky it didn’t get damaged. Meanwhile, Pikachu, Togetic, Lucy, Ash and Brock just stood there, not knowing what to say or do.

“Ehh... Sorry, but those two are such airheads, they’re so stupid! Do they have any idea what they’ve been doing to me?” Misty apologized.

“It’s fine. Sure, they’re hot,” Brock said, much to Lucy’s dismay, “but they’re too unempathic and selfish to realize the impact of their behaviour on others.”

“The thought of them being my sisters in law doesn’t appeal to me,” Ash sighed. “Oh well, being together with Misty is worth it. And hey, Tracey becoming my brother in law seems pretty cool.”

“It’s so sad, I was hoping to talk to Daisy without drama, and then this happens... I’m not going to let it spoil my day, I’m just going to focus on Ash battling Paul,” Misty decided.

“Good for you,” Lucy said. “Just try to ignore them until you feel ready to forgive them.”

“If you ever will,” Togetic said in Pokemon-language.

“They also didn’t have ketchup for me when we last visited them,” Pikachu mentioned to Togetic, causing the Flying-type to nod.

Then, someone knocked on the hotel room door, which got opened by Ash. “Mom? And Professor Oak? What are you two doing here? I thought you two had to go on some trip through Johto.”

“That trip to Johto was visiting you and being there for you during the League, we just wanted to surprise you,” Professor Oak explained.

“He never changes his underwear,” Misty said. “I’m so used to the smell, I don’t care about it anymore.”

“How long have you been wearing your current boxers?” Delia asked.

“Only two months...” Ash moaned. “Anyways, let’s go to the stadium!”

“Not before you put on some clean underwear!” Delia snapped.

“But mom, do I really have to?” Ash asked.

“No but, young man! Don’t you dare to leave this room until you put on some clean underwear!” Delia shouted. And so, Ash finally changed his boxers for the first time in months.

Half an hour later, the group marched to the stadium together, all being ready for Ash’s big match, sitting on the coaching couch just behind the spot Ash was standing. While Misty made her Azumarill, Hoppip, Dewgong and Togetic cheer for Ash, Brock decided to send out his Ludicolo for some extra support.

“This match is a three on three match between Ash and Paul. The winner will get three points and progress to the knockout stage of the Johto League,” the referee explained. Then, he pushed a button on a remote control, in order to decide who had to choose his Pokemon first. Unfortunately, Ash was the unlucky one, allowing Paul to get an early type advantage.

“Totodile, I choose you!” Ash said, while sending out the dancing crocodile. Meanwhile, Paul chose his Torterra, just like Brock expected. Then, the referee told the competitors to begin. “I’ve got to take advantage of its low Speed, that Pokemon can barely avoid anything!” Ash thought.

“I told you I was right,” Brock teased.

“Brock, shut up!” Ash shouted. Then, he focused his attention to Totodile. “Start with your Water Gun!” Ash said. The crocodile spit a ray of water at the Grass-type, who was too slow to avoid getting hit. Because the opponent was part-Ground-type, the attack actually did significant damage.

“Torterra, use your Razor Leaf!” Paul commanded, causing the Pokemon with the pointy shield to hurl two sharp leaves at the crocodile, who started a dance in order to avoid the attack.

“That’s great, Totodile! Now use your Blizzard!” the Water-type heard his trainer shout. A snowstorm started to cover Torterra, even to the point of freezing him.

“That was that,” Ash thought. However, the opponent was able to surprise him. “Torterra, break the ice with your Leaf Storm and then hit Totodile!” And so, the twirling leaves caused an attack strong enough to not only break the ice covering the frozen Torterra, but also hit Totodile, who was severely hurt.

“Totodile, can you go on?” Ash asked, glad to see how his trusty pal stood up and did a dance.

“Now, Torterra, finish this with your Vine Whip!” Paul commanded, causing the Grass-type to let his vines move towards the crocodile, who started dancing on one of them like a cord dancer!

“This is so cool!” Misty said. “Ash is lucky to have a Pokemon with such skill in its feet!”

“Yeah, it’s saving him now,” Lucy said, while the Pokemon were cheering for Totodile as loud as they could.

“Great, now use your Hydro Pump at full power in his face!” Ash commanded, causing Totodile to use his strongest attack. While the water smashed Torterra against the wall, Totodile felt exhausted. However, it was enough to beat the opponent. “Torterra is defeated, Totodile is the winner!” the referee declared.

“Torterra, you did well, have some rest,” Paul said gently, while returning the Pokemon to its Poke Ball and sending out his Honchkrow.

“This is weird...” Ash thought. “Paul seems nicer to his Pokemon than he used to be...”

“Ash, you should choose another Pokemon, Totodile is really tired!” Brock suggested.

“No, I’m sure Totodile can defeat Honchkrow,” Ash said, while the referee started the battle with a flag signal.

“Honchkrow, start with a Wing Attack!” Paul commanded. The crow flew at its opponent, only to be hit in the face. “Totodile, when Honchkrow is close, use your Hydro Pump!” Ash said quickly, causing Honchkrow to be significantly hurt.

“Honchkrow, now use your Thunder Wave!” Paul tried, going for a more strategic approach. The jolt of electricity was enough to paralyze Totodile.

“Now finish it with Shadow Ball,” the purple-haired boy said, causing his Pokemon to hit Totodile with a big, dark ball emerging from the wings. This time, there was no avoiding anymore.

“No, Totodile!” Ash screamed, while the referee declared the crocodile’s defeat. And so, Ash had to call back his Pokemon, followed by choosing Quilava to enter the battle.

“Quilava, try a Flamethrower!” Ash said, causing Quilava to spit fire at the haze, hoping to hit the bird. However, that didn’t happen.

“Honchkrow, use your Whirlwind!” Paul commanded. And so, not only the fire was blown towards Quilava, but also the haze.

“And now Double-Edge!” the opponent said, causing Honchkrow to fly at Quilava at high speed. The Fire-type wasn’t able to see Honchkrow coming and got hit by an extremely strong attack. With lots of trouble, he was able to stand up, but he couldn’t take much more.

“Quilava, it’s time to do something back, use your Blast Burn!” Ash said. A pillar of fire emerged from the ground, completely burning Honchkrow, who was hovering just above the attack. The Pokemon didn’t have much energy left to battle, and was just as exhausted and damaged as Quilava, but it was enough to continue battling.

“Honchkrow, finish it with your Shadow Ball!” Paul shouted. And so, another purple blob of eerie power struck Quilava, who fell down on the ground, only to be declared to be defeated by the referee.

“This is bad, Ash only has Butterfree left...” Misty said softly, fearing a loss for her boyfriend.

“He’s at least wearing clean underpants,” Delia mentioned.

“Yeah, but Honchkrow is so tired, one hit should do the job,” Lucy tried pumping some optimism into Misty. Meanwhile, Ash already swapped his defeated Pokemon for the beautiful butterfly, while the referee started the battle again.

“Yeah, but Honchkrow isn’t a weakling, there’s no guarantee Butterfree can beat it without getting hit first...” Professor Oak complained.

“Butterfree, use your Stun Spore!” Ash commanded. Dust scattered down upon Honchkrow, who was too tired to avoid getting hit. The bird was stunned and incapable of moving!

“Yes!” Ash thought. Then, he told Butterfree to use his Silver Wind, causing Honchkrow to be smashed against the wall, effectively defeating the crow.

“Honchkrow, no!” Paul shouted. While the referee declared the bird’s defeat, Paul promised his Pokemon some good rest and sent out his last Pokemon. “Electivire, I choose you!” A big, yellow Pokemon stood on the grassy battlefield.

“And I knew Butterfree would have an easy time against a weakened Honchkrow, I told you so! Lucy one, Professor Oak zero!” Lucy joked.

After the beginning signal from the referee, Paul quickly tried to make use of Electivire’s sheer strength. “Thunderpunch!” he shouted. However, Butterfree flew upwards in the air, higher than Electivire could jump.

“Butterfree, try a Psybeam!” Ash said. A colourful ray from the Pokemon that hovered in the air was aimed at Electivire, but the opponent was able to run away.

Half an hour later, the Pokemon both weren’t hit anymore, they constantly evaded each other’s attacks. Both of them were incredibly fast, while Butterfree was also able to fly away from physical attacks with ease. The audience even started booing! “We want our money back! We want to get entertained, not lulled to sleep!” an angry man shouted, only to be taken away by the guards in the stadium.

“Electivire, try another Thunderpunch!” Paul tried. Then, Ash suddenly knew how to break the status quo. “Butterfree, don’t avoid, but use Sleep Powder when he’s in front of you!” he said. And so, a green powder was blown into the fast Pokemon’s face, causing him to fall asleep, much to the audience’s hilarity.

“No!” Paul shouted.

“We got ‘em!” Ash said, followed by telling Butterfree what to do. The Bug-type tried another Psybeam, and this time, the attack indeed struck Electivire. However, despite damaging the Pokemon severely, the effect wasn’t what Ash hoped for: Electivire woke up! However, he was still dizzy.

“Butterfree, now try your Tackle!” Ash shouted. The butterfly quickly flew towards the Electric-type and smashed himself at his opponent.

“Electivire, use your Thunder!” Paul shouted. His Pokemon wasn’t able to aim well, but got lucky enough to suddenly hit Butterfree with his strongest attack! The zapped butterfly crashed down on the ground.

“Butterfree, can you go on?” Ash asked.

“This doesn’t look so good,” Brock moaned.

“Hey, look!” Lucy said, pointing at how Butterfree succeeded in standing up and flying upwards again.

“WAKE UP!” Misty shouted in Professor Oak’s ear. The Professor fell asleep on the warm summer afternoon, mostly because of how boring the thirty minutes of avoiding were.

“Zzz... What?” the Professor asked.

“Butterfree was struck by Thunder, but can still continue! Sure, it’s just one hit, but it’s a very strong one,” Delia helped Oak to catch up.

“Butterfree, fly behind Electivire’s back and use your Silver Wind!” Ash commanded. And so, the butterfly flew to a place where Electivire couldn’t see him and struck the Pokemon with a wickedly strong attack, causing the Electric-type to fall down on the ground.

“Electivire is defeated, Butterfree is the winner!” the referee announced, while looking at Butterfree.

“Butterfree, you did it!” Ash shouted, while his friends were cheering on the supporting couch behind him.

Then, after putting Butterfree in his Poke Ball and getting congratulated by his friends, Paul walked up to Ash. “Ash, six years ago, during the Sinnoh League, after you defeated me there, I thought I bettered my life. However, I realized I’ve still been treating my Pokemon like crap. However, now, I’m really going to change. Apparently, I can’t beat someone who truly cares about his Pokemon, your way is better than mine. During the battle, I started tor realize it, and after losing to Butterfree, I’ve accepted that I was wrong.”

“Come on, let’s leave this place and go back to the hotel room,” Delia said. However, then, a woman from the stands jumped on the battlefield and walked up to Ash and his friends.

“Who is that woman?” Professor Oak asked.

“That’s Princess Sara from the Mirage Kingdom, and she’s very sexy!” Brock squealed, while being dragged away by Lucy.

“Princess Sara, what are you doing here?” Ash asked.

“Well, for a state visit to Johto, I’m here at the Johto League,” Sara explained, while shaking hands with Togetic. “And it’s Queen Sara now, don’t you remember?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Ash said. “Why did you jump from the stands and run at us like that?”

“Well, I saw Togetic and Misty standing up from the coaching and support couch behind you, so I wondered if Misty had any questions about Togetic suddenly returning to her two years ago,” Sara explained.

“Yes, I indeed have. I still don’t understand why Togetic returned. I’m very happy with it, of course, but didn’t you need her to protect the Togepi Paradise?” Misty asked.

“The reason why we needed your Togetic seven years ago was because we only had Togepi, while we wanted the protector of the Paradise to be stronger, evolved... Because she was a Togetic, we felt like we needed her, and she felt like she was needed here too, despite wanting to stay with you. However, two years ago, my own Togepi evolved and felt like protecting the kingdom. Because of that, I told your Togetic that she was allowed to go back to you if she wanted to. And I knew you needed it, you seemed really sad and depressed when I met you, I thought you could use a friend like Togetic,” the Queen explained.

“Hey, look!” Brock yelled, while Lucy and Sara stood next to each other. “Queen Lucy and Queen Sara, the hottest queens on the planet!” The pervert was referring to Lucy’s ‘Pike Queen’ nickname and Sara’s status in the Mirage Kingdom. “I’ve got to take a sexy picture of this! I wish Sara would have such a skimpy outfit like Lucy!” However, before he could take his camera from his backpack, he felt how Lucy dragged his ear again.

“Yeah, just like you sleeping when you’re supposed to watch Ash’s battle,” Delia teased.

“No, it’s fine,” Sara said. “He can’t help it, I know that’s just his personality. Anyways, I’ve got to go now, the mayor of Silver Town is waiting for me. Bye! And don’t tell anyone you heard about this!”

“Bye, thanks for explaining that what I’ve wondered about for two years!” Misty said, while walking away together with the rest of the group. Then, much to Misty’s dismay, she saw the fixtures for the next round tomorrow. Tomorrow, in the evening, Ash would have to battle Melody.